Leslie Gromis Baker: Investing in adult literacy helps people help themselves

As the saying goes, “Give a man a fish, and you feed him for a day. Teach him to fish, and you feed him for a lifetime.” That’s exactly what adult literacy programs do — they provide people with the tools and confidence to take control of their futures, giving them the skills they need to build careers, get good jobs and make lasting progress in their lives.

Helping people obtain a GED credential, explore career and college options, learn the English language, and acquire digital skills opens the door to opportunity. In the Pittsburgh area, Literacy Pittsburgh teaches over 4,000 adult learners each year in Allegheny and Beaver counties.

Government funding for adult and family literacy was cut in half in 2008, and it remained at this level until a modest increase in last year’s budget. Most recently, it was threatened by efforts to withhold congressionally approved funds. This would have resulted in a $2 million loss for Literacy Pittsburgh and a national loss totaling $715 million for these essential programs. The result would have been shuttered classrooms and reduced learning opportunities for students. As it stands today, literacy organizations do not know what the future holds for this vital funding stream.

That’s why Literacy Pittsburgh and advocates across the country are urging Congress to increase funding for adult education in the next federal budget, instead of eliminating it as proposed in the president’s skinny budget. We also urge the Pennsylvania General Assembly to increase its investment in adult education, as proposed by Gov. Josh Shapiro. At a time with shifting federal policies, including work requirements for Medicaid and re-shoring of manufacturing, disinvesting in adult education would be counterproductive.

In Allegheny County and across Pennsylvania, nearly 20% of adults lack the fundamental skills needed for active participation in the workforce and the community. Nationally, 22% of adults lack these basic skills. Only a fraction of those are enrolled in a learning program, and student wait lists at Literacy Pittsburgh frequently reach 400 people.

More investment is needed in adult literacy programs, not less. And it is a sound investment.

The organization ProLiteracy states that increasing the literacy skills of an adult at the lowest end of the proficiency scale by one level makes it 50% less likely that they will live in poverty. Conversely, a recent New America blog post notes that “U.S. adults at the lowest end of the numeracy scale have a higher rate of unemployment (7%), lower wages ($19 in median hourly earnings), and one of the lowest labor force participation rates among the surveyed countries (62%).”

Investing in adult education pays dividends to these individuals and their families, while also boosting our workforce and economy. For every 100 open jobs in Pennsylvania, only 77 qualified workers are available to fill them, according to the Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry. Recent labor market analysis from Partner4Work indicates that the unemployment rate in our region declined to 3.7% (a 0.4 point decrease) and the number of job postings increased by 5.6% in the first quarter. Combined with an aging population, these facts highlight a pressing need to attract and retain skilled workers across the commonwealth.

Literacy Pittsburgh has a ready and willing student population who have demonstrated responsibility, drive, and tenacity. They juggle jobs, family, and household tasks, while attending class an average of four hours a week. They just need that hand up to create better lives through learning for themselves.

Leslie Gromis Baker is a board member at Literacy Pittsburgh.