SER Metro Detroit, Jobs
for Progress, Inc.
Bridge Program Curriculum
Development
REQUEST
FOR QUALIFICATIONS
I.
WHO WE ARE
SER
Metro Detroit, Jobs for Progress, Inc. is a not-for-profit employment and
training organization. Its mission is to
promote economic self-sufficiency and upward mobility among low-income
community residents through employment and training services. SER is headquartered in the Southwest
neighborhood of Detroit but operates programs that serve residents from across
the city of Detroit and Wayne County.
SER operates multiple employment and training programs that seek to meet
the needs of both job seekers and employers.
This
includes the newly developed Career Bridge of Metro Detroit initiative that seeks
to assist low-skilled, low-income community residents in improving their basic
literacy and numeracy skills so they may access college-level occupational
training programs in demand fields such as Manufacturing and Energy
Efficiency/Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC).
II.
DESIRED SCOPE OF SERVICES
SER
is in the process of developing a Bridge program in the Manufacturing and
Energy Efficiency/HVAC sectors. Bridge
programs are defined as those that include the following key elements:
contextualized instruction (basic reading, math, and language skills and
industry/occupation knowledge); career development (career exploration and
planning; understanding the world of work); and transition services (case
management, financial and personal supports, tutoring). These programs have been proven successful in
breaking down the obstacles that have long kept low-literacy adults from
getting ahead economically. They are
more effective than traditional adult education programs in quickly improving
the basic skill levels of adults and assisting learners in transitioning to
occupational training and employment along a career pathway.
SER
is seeking the services of one or more contractors to develop one to two contextualized
basic skills curricula in Spring of 2013,
with work beginning immediately upon selection of the contractor(s). One curriculum will be taught in the context
of careers in the manufacturing field and the other in the context of careers
in the energy efficiency/HVAC field.
Both should assist students in improving reading comprehension, writing
and math skills while exposing them to concepts, practices and knowledge of the
associated industry sector(s) in an integrated fashion. The ultimate goal of the curriculum is to
prepare students to achieve the college entrance exam scores they need to place
into occupational training programs; the contextualized basic skills training
will “bridge” them into college.
Contextualized
teaching and learning integrates several key instruction techniques; “according
to contextualized learning theory, learning occurs only when students
(learners) process new information or knowledge in such a way that it makes
sense to them in their own frames of reference (their own inner worlds of
memory, experience, and response).”[1] Contextualized instruction uses the following
approaches:[2]
- New concepts are presented in real-life situations;
- Concepts are presented in the context of their use;
- New concepts are presented in the context of what
the student already knows;
- Examples and exercises include many real, believable
problem-solving situations that students can recognize as being important
to their current or possible future lives;
- Lessons and activities encourage the student to
apply concepts and information in useful contexts, projecting the student
into imagined futures (e.g., possible careers) and unfamiliar locations
(e.g., workplaces);
- Students are expected to participate regularly in
interactive groups where sharing, communicating, and responding to the
important concepts and decision-making occur;
- Lessons, exercises, and labs improve students’
written and oral communication skills in addition to reading and
mathematical achievement.
SER is seeking a contractor
who can develop this curricula and is open to hiring a contractor to do both
curricula or to hiring a contractor for each curriculum. Specifically, the Contractor will:
- Create a Manufacturing contextualized basic skills
curriculum that:
- Integrates knowledge of the manufacturing field
into lesson plans and also utilizes the teaching approaches summarized
above.
- Targets learners between the 8.0 and 10.9 grade
level in reading and/or math and effectively prepares them to enroll into
an occupational training program that requires a 11th to 12th
grade level in reading and math (TABE Reading score of 11.0+ and TABE
Math score of 11.0+ or a National Career Readiness Certificate - Silver
Level).
- Can be taught in an intensive, full-time schedule over
the course of 8 to 10 weeks, not exceeding 275 hours of instruction.
- Create an Energy Efficiency/HVAC contextualized
basic skills curriculum that:
- Integrates knowledge of the energy efficiency/HVAC
field into lesson plans and also utilizes the teaching approaches
summarized above.
- Targets learners below the 12th grade
level in math and effectively prepares them to enroll into an
occupational training program that requires a 12th grade level
in math (TABE Math score of 12.9) and an understanding of advanced
algebra and geometry.
- Can be taught in an intensive, full-time schedule
over the course of 8 to 10 weeks or a part-time schedule over the course
of 14 to 16 weeks, not exceeding 275 hours of instruction.
- Work with instructors or professionals from the manufacturing
or HVAC/energy efficiency fields to develop the industry content of the curriculum,
or possess that knowledge themselves.
- Prepare a curriculum that includes a syllabus, proposed
class schedule, daily lesson plans, exercises and worksheets for students,
and other learning materials.
Goals of SER’s Bridge programs:
- To improve the employment
prospects of lower-skilled, low-income job seekers
- To equip individuals with the
basic literacy and math skills they need to achieve college entrance exam
scores that are required to access occupational training at the college
level
- To assist job seekers in
completing an occupational training program that leads to a credential or
certificate recognized by employers
- To maintain high rates of
retention and completion through the program, which is far likelier with a
contextualized basic skills curriculum
- To expand SER’s successful
Nursing Bridge program to other occupations and sectors
Eligibility
Requirements for Contractor:
- Ability to make the commitment to the timeframe
identified above.
- Ability to receive and respond to email and to access
the Internet through a reliable means.
Required
Qualifications for Contractor:
1)
In-depth
knowledge of curriculum development (especially adult basic education)
2)
Familiarity
with and experience in developing a contextualized curriculum
3)
Experience
developing curricula for low-skilled, low-income populations
4)
Strong
writing and communication skills
5)
Strong
time management skills; ability to meet deadlines
6)
Master’s
degree in Education or a related field, or bachelor’s degree combined with
significant experience
Preferred
Qualifications for Contractor:
1)
Knowledge
of workforce development issues, trends, needs, etc.
2)
Knowledge
of the manufacturing and/or energy efficiency/HVAC sectors
3) Past experience developing curricula that
have been used successfully by other organizations and ability to document this
success.
Submission
Requirements:
Applicants must submit the items listed
below via email to Michelle Rafferty, Director of Research and Development, SER
Metro Detroit at MRafferty@SERMetro.org
as soon as possible, preferably by April
15th, 2013. Proposals
will be reviewed as they are submitted and a contractor may be selected prior
to April 15th; please submit your response as soon as possible. Proposals may be accepted after this date if
a qualified contractor has not yet been identified; if after April 15th,
2013, please send an email to Michelle Rafferty to inquire as to whether
proposals are still being accepted.
1.
Proposal
addressing the following (three-page limit):
o
Why
are you interested in this project?
o
What
in your background makes you a strong candidate for this position?
o
Summary
of your experience as related to the list of qualifications for the position
and the scope of services (please address all qualifications listed)
o
Proposed
timeline for the project, including the earliest possible date of completion of
the curriculum/curricula.
2.
Current
resume.
3.
A
budget for this work. Please specify whether the budget is for one curriculum
or both curricula. If for both, please
separate out the cost for each one.
4.
Three
(3) references from individuals who can attest to your suitability for the
tasks.
5.
A
sample curriculum outline developed by the applicant that is similar to that
required for this project.
III.
AWARD OF CONTRACT
This
request for qualifications does not commit SER Metro Detroit, Jobs for
Progress, Inc. to award a contract or to pay costs incurred in the preparation
of a proposal in response to this request. SER reserves the right to accept or
reject any or all proposals received as a result of this request, or to cancel
any or all of this Request for Qualifications, if it is considered in the best
interest of SER. SER may require the proposer selected for various projects to
participate in negotiations, and to submit to such price, technical or other
information as may be needed to finalize a particular engagement for services.
IV.
CONTACT FOR FURTHER INFORMATION
For
further information about this RFQ, contact Michelle Rafferty, Director of Research
and Development, SER Metro Detroit, Jobs for Progress, Inc., at MRafferty@SERMetro.org
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