L/Earner Voice Grants used to incorporate learner and earner perspectives into critical policy conversations
June 27, 2024
Several organizations are leveraging L/Earner Voice Grants to ensure the perspectives of learners and earners are incorporated into the development of critical policies and efforts to expand equitable opportunities for learners to acquire the credentials they need to succeed at high-value, in-demand jobs.
Juntos and the Colorado Department of Higher Education are both planning to conduct surveys and focus groups with learners and earners, while Young Invincibles, Colorado Equitable Economic Mobility Initiative, and the Learning Economy Foundation are hosting meetings to discuss transformational policies with learners and earners.
- Juntos will survey and interview immigrants and refugees who are working to acquire the skills and education needed to enter licensed professions in Colorado. Insights from this research will help connect learners with information about career pathways and support advocacy efforts to expand access to licensed professions for immigrants and refugees.
- The Colorado Department of Higher Education is collecting data on the experiences of learners pursuing careers in education, especially those engaged in stackable credential pathways as outlined in the 2022 Opportunity for Credential Attainment legislation. CDHE will conduct focus groups and distribute a survey to gather valuable feedback from learners and earners.
- Young Invincibles has formed a Learner Voice Coalition, comprising current learners enrolled in higher education programs alongside advocacy organizations and higher education policy groups. The L/Earner Voice Grant will support the coalition’s inaugural retreat, providing a foundation to amplify learner voices in higher education and workforce policy. Participants will co-create the coalition’s vision, discuss best practices for work-based learning, engage employers in career-connected learning, and strategize on incorporating learner and earner voices into updated policies and proposed legislation.
- Colorado Equitable Economic Mobility Initiative, known as CEEMI, has already used its Learner Voice Grant to host a meeting with U.S. Senators Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper. This event focused on the reauthorization of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act, highlighting the voices of learners, earners, and lessons from implementation across Colorado in this crucial policy discussion.
- Learning Economy Foundation will use its L/Earner Voice Grant to conduct a focus group with adult learners and earners to better understand their perspective on AI, digital wallets, Learning and Employment Records, and general principles of data ownership, agency, and self-advocacy. Feedback from the session will be used to inform a shared, learner-driven definition of success and the value of technology-assisted, career-connected education pathways.
Join us in congratulating these organizations for including learner and earner perspectives in policy-making to create more inclusive and effective solutions.
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Our recent L/Earner Voice Symposium offered a powerful reminder that systems are stronger when they are shaped by the people they are meant to serve. The learners and earners who presented Ted Talk-style reflections have worked with education and workforce organizations that value the expertise and lived experiences of learners and earners. They shared honest reflections about the difference between simply inviting young people into conversations and creating environments where their insights and ideas genuinely shape decisions, opportunities, and outcomes. Throughout the discussion, several themes emerged consistently: the importance of authentic engagement, the need for empowering environments where young people feel safe sharing ideas, and the role relationships and mentorship play in building confidence and opportunity. Speakers emphasized that learners are not only participants in education-to-workforce systems — they are experts in the challenges those systems are trying to solve. Panelists also spoke candidly about the barriers many young people face, including financial limitations, self-doubt, and the need for spaces that support both personal growth and guidance. “Young people deserve to get paid for their work,” said Gabriela Chavez, urging organizations to avoid situations where only young people who can afford to participate are the ones who get heard. Our learner and earner speakers also shared inspiring stories about moments when their voices influenced real change — from improving programs and products to advocating for education funding and mentoring others. Anyshya Hemphill had a moment when she learned that her insights and leadership led to 400 young people engaging with the networking guidance provided by the DeBruce Foundation. “That was the moment I was like, okay — wait, what I said actually made a difference.” Thank you to all of our learners and earners who shared their experience.