AEFL Week 2026
Resource Center
Review our collection of adult education and workforce development resources developed for dissemination during AEFL Week—including blog posts, press releases, podcasts, national data sheets, and partner content covering relevant topics like Career Technical Education, Pell funding, ROI of adult education, and job-readiness initiatives.
What if one investment could strengthen the local workforce, help families move out of poverty, break intergenerational cycles, and reduce recidivism? Adult education is doing all of this in communities across America. In recognition of National Adult Education and Family Literacy Week, September 14–18, COABE invites county leaders to discover how their local adult education programs are building talent pipelines, strengthening families, and fueling local economies—and how they can join the national celebration.
As AI accelerates changes across the economy, it’s forecast that millions of Americans are going to need new skills to navigate this workforce shock. That has workers asking: where do I fit in?
After decades of lost opportunity, a growing coalition is proving that skills-first hiring works — opening doors for over 70 million workers Skilled Through Alternative Routes (STARs)
As employers, educators, and workforce leaders prepare for a rapidly changing economy, conversations increasingly center on artificial intelligence, skills-based hiring, talent development, and economic mobility. Yet underneath each of these priorities lies something even more fundamental: people need the foundational skills that allow them to participate, adapt, and advance.
The launch of Workforce Pell represents a major federal investment in short-term workforce training and an opportunity for states to expand access to in-demand careers. Workforce Pell expands Pell Grant eligibility to state-approved short-term workforce credential programs aligned with high-skills, high-wage, or in-demand occupations.
Adult Education's Return On Investment
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Adult education meets current challenges, stimulates the economy, and connects talent to employers.
Workforce Re-Entry & Economic Contribution
Empowering non-native speakers to navigate, integrate, and achieve professional success.
English Proficiency & Career Pathways
Fulfilling educational milestones, fueling higher education, and boosting local economies.
Adult Literacy & High School Equivalency
Breaking the cycles of poverty, enhancing family connections, and investing in our future.
Intergenerational Mobility & Family Literacy
Adult education has long been a pathway to greater opportunity—helping adults strengthen foundational skills, earn credentials, prepare for postsecondary education, and enter or advance in the workforce. Yet skills and credentials alone do not always provide equal access to opportunity.
The Job Search Academy is a free, virtual career development program brought to you by Indeed and COABE to help you excel in your job search. The Academy focuses on mastering the 5 key areas of the job search so you feel confident every step of the way–because everyone deserves better work.
Community colleges are navigating a complicated moment: enrollment pressures, changing demographics, growing workforce demands, and an urgent need to help more adults move toward credentials, careers, and economic mobility.
Community colleges are navigating a complicated moment: enrollment pressures, changing demographics, growing workforce demands, and an urgent need to help more adults move toward credentials, careers, and economic mobility.
