Finding Dynamic Adult Educators as Dynamic as the Adult Immigrant Students that You Serve

The United States is home to over 45 million immigrants, making up approximately 13.6%?of our national population.

This growing population of New Americans includes immigrants, refugees, asylum seekers, and migrants. Many of which are adults seek education and training to improve their lives and support their families. While the actuality of The American Dream has always been in question and is subjective, there is no doubt that immigrant and refugee individuals and families are interested in making a transition from surviving to thriving. As a result, the number of adult immigrant and refugee learners in the U.S. has been steadily increasing over the years, presenting unique challenges and opportunities for adult education professionals. Adult education institutions need to invest in the recruitment, training, and retention of adult education professionals who are prepared to meet the dynamic needs of adult immigrants and refugee learners.

Recruiting Adult Education Professionals

To meet the needs of adult immigrant and refugee learners, institutions must recruit adult education professionals who are culturally competent and possess the necessary knowledge and skills to work with diverse populations. Institutions should ensure that their job postings and recruitment efforts explicitly state that they are seeking candidates with experience working with immigrants and refugees. Another great way to enrich the learning experience of New Americans is to:

• Tap into the power of Proximate Leadership

Proximate leadership refers to a leadership approach in which individuals from diverse backgrounds and communities are placed in positions of power within organizations to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion (DE&I).

Proximate leaders are chosen for their lived experiences, cultural competence, and ability to build relationships and trust with people from diverse backgrounds. The concept of proximate leadership is rooted in the idea that those who are closest to the problem are best positioned to solve it. Proximate leaders can be a bridge to connect your institution with diverse persons and ideas. Additionally, institutions should establish partnerships with local organizations that work with immigrants and refugees, such as community-based organizations and refugee resettlement agencies, to identify potential candidates and reach a wider pool of applicants.

Training Adult Education Professionals

Professional development opportunities should focus on topics such as cultural competency, trauma-informed care, language acquisition, and effective teaching strategies for diverse populations. Be sure to choose a reputable company, with proven results like EECG who has been designing creative workforce development solutions alongside adult education programs for close to a decade.?

Retaining Adult Education Professionals

Retention is critical to ensuring that institutions have a stable workforce of adult education professionals who can build meaningful relationships with learners and provide consistent support. Institutions can retain adult education professionals by providing opportunities for career advancement, competitive salaries and benefits, and a positive work environment.

Institutions should also create a supportive and inclusive workplace culture that values diversity and promotes equity. This includes offering regular opportunities for staff to participate in training and professional development opportunities that promote cultural competency and address issues of bias and discrimination.

Dr. Dorothy Hassan is an EECG?consultant and staff writer. She has served in the adult ed sector for 12 years. Dr. Hassan is currently a non-profit organization executive, serving the immigrant and refugee community of Central Ohio.?