SCHOOL AT WORK AIMS TO TEACH EMPLOYEES BASIC MATH, LITERACY

Food-service employees hope to reap benefits of state-funded workplace program

By Matthew Friedrichs, Herald-Leader Business Writer

Allan Cormney knew he had to do something for his lowest paid employees.

"Our turnover rate is ridiculous," said Cormney, general manager of the Campbell House Inn. So he decided to participate in School at Work, a program that teaches basic math and literacy skills to employees at no cost to employers.

The Campbell House is one of several Lexington businesses, along with hospitals and the Fayette County school district, that will offer groups of employees a class in grammar and basic written communication skills during October and November.

Employees at each work site meet on Tuesday afternoons and use a workbook, video tapes and a live video feed on KET2 or another provider to master the new material.

Many companies already teach their workers skills such as food preparation, safety and appropriate workplace behavior, said Lynn Fischer, president of Hospitality Television, a privately held Louisville company that is administering School at Work with Jefferson Community College and Kentucky Educational Television.

But, she added, companies don't have the time or the resources to address the basic educational skills many Kentuckians lack.

"Our target audience is very definitely those who don't have a (high school) diploma or a GED," Fischer said.

Low unemployment in Kentucky -- about 4 percent -- and a high percentage of that work force that does not function at high school graduate level -- about 42 percent -- underscore the need for School at Work, she said.

Michael Underwood, general manager of Red Lobster in Lexington, has had employees participate in three School at Work sessions, including the pilot math program in the spring of 1998.

He is an enthusiastic proponent. He said 26 of his 30 employees who have participated in the program are still working at Red Lobster.

"Just stopping the turnover -- it pays for itself almost right away," Underwood said.

Beyond the short-term benefits for a business, the program is another plank in Gov. Paul Patton's plan to raise the educational level of Kentuckians.

"We have to take education to where people are, and the majority of people are in the work sites," Fischer said.

School at Work math programs in 1998 and 1999, and two language programs this year have been financed by innovation grants from the Kentucky Department of Adult Education and Literacy.

The stipend, paid for by the grant, eliminates the labor cost for businesses, which are asked to provide a place for the employees to meet. Each business also provides a manager for about two hours a week to organize and oversee the class.

Holding the classes on site by using a video feed from Louisville also eliminates the need to travel for workers who already may have multiple commitments.

The results so far have been positive. A range of employers, including Kroger and the University of Kentucky Medical Center, enrolled 795 employees in this year's spring class, held at 105 sites across the state. More than 70 percent of the employees finished it.

Underwood said one of his employees, motivated by the experience, has completed her GED. He promoted another woman after her language skills improved, and she too is pursuing her GED.

"What we're hoping is that School at Work and other programs like it will become a feeder for community colleges," Fischer said.

The selection of participants is left to the managers at individual businesses, Fischer said. Ethnicity is not considered, only education level.

Underwood has had some of his Hispanic employees take the classes, and Cormney expressed interest in English as a second language.

Fischer said that such courses might be a possibility in the future, but that a statewide survey hadn't shown that to be one of the top concerns now.

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