Basic Education and/or Foundational Skills Instruction - Programs that offer academic instruction and education services below the post-secondary level that increase an individual’s ability to read, write, and perform mathematics or other activities necessary for the attainment of a secondary school diploma or its recognized equivalent; transition to postsecondary education and training; and obtain employment. Such programs include Adult Basic Education (ABE), basic literacy, and high school equivalency (GED).

Minnesota only allows reimbursement for ABE/GED services provided to participants aged 21 or over. These services must be substantially differentiated from those already provided by existing education programs currently being offered at no cost to the general public. If these services are provided to persons other than E&T participants, the costs charged to E&T must be the same.

If the lack of basic education is a barrier to obtaining suitable employment, it will generally be identified during the employability assessment. In other cases, this issue may present itself during supervised job search or job search training. In still other cases, it may not be identified until an ESP or another professional works more closely with the participant. Regardless of when the lack of basic skills is identified as an issue, the ESP may include Adult Basic Education (ABE), Adult Diploma Program (ADP), or General Education Development (GED) course work in the EP. Examples of when to include these activities in an EP include:

- ABE, ADP, or GED is considered the best path to employment.

- Low skill levels make it difficult to complete job applications, interfere with the ability to get, keep, or advance on the job, or are otherwise a barrier to self-sufficiency.

Workforce One Activity: Basic Education/ Foundational Skills Instruction.

Career and/or Technical Education Programs or Other Vocational Training - Organized activities at the post-secondary level that provide individuals with the academic and technical knowledge and skills necessary to prepare for further education and for careers in current or emerging employment sectors. Programs are primarily designed for those who are beyond the age of compulsory high school attendance. Ideally, such programs should be employer-driven and lead to industry-recognized certificates or credentials. Post-secondary training is limited to a 2-year associate degree level or lesser and may not include a 2-year associate degree intended for transfer into a 4-year degree program or any other additional educational program, such as an Associate of Arts.

Classroom training and educational activities may be included in an EP, but are limited to a 2-year associate degree level or lesser and may not include a 2-year associate degree intended for transfer into a 4-year bachelor level degree or higher such as an Associate of Arts (AA) or Transfer Pathway degree. This may include prerequisite courses (other than a remedial course which may be considered basic education and/or foundational skills instruction) that meet the requirements of a career or technical education program. In order for a post-secondary education program to be approved, the ESP must ensure that:

- The goals in the participant's EP could be met with the post-secondary training.

- There is a market for employees with the proposed training where the participant will (or is willing to) reside upon completion of the program.

- The participant can meet the requirements for admission into the program.

- There is a reasonable expectation that the participant will complete the training program based on such factors as their current assessment, previous education, training, work history, current motivation, and circumstances.

The ESP must ensure that the participant is making satisfactory progress in the program. Satisfactory progress must be defined in the participant's EP. The ESP may accept or modify the definition of satisfactory progress used by the educational institution where the participant is enrolled. Both classroom and study hours count toward the work requirement for time-limited participants. Though self-initiated students are not subject to the work and time limit provisions, to remain SNAP eligible, self-initiated students must maintain satisfactory progress in the program. A self-initiated student is an individual that is a student at SNAP application, or becomes a student prior to referral to, or participation in SNAP E&T.

Workforce One Activity: Career/Technical Education or Vocational Training.

English Language Acquisition - Designed to help English language learners achieve competence in reading, writing, speaking, and comprehension of the English language.

When the ESP determines that the lack of English proficiency is a significant barrier to obtaining suitable employment, the ESP must address the issue when developing the participant's EP and should consider including participation in an English as a Second Language (ESL) or English Language Learner (ELL) program.

While it may sometimes be more difficult to find work with a limited ability to speak English, there are jobs that are available to participants with limited English language abilities.

Workforce One Activity: English Language Acquisition.

Integrated Education and Training (IET)/Bridge Programs - Programs that provide adult education and literacy activities concurrently and contextually with workforce preparation activities and workforce training for a specific occupation or group of occupations for the purpose of educational and career advancement.

IET/Bridge programs are designed to build the foundational skills of people whose academic abilities do not meet the minimum requirements of a traditional post-secondary degree or certificate program. IET/Bridge programming provides enhanced support and programming for people through contextualized foundational instruction. For example, for a participant entering a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) program, the reading instruction would be focused on healthcare terms and vocabulary. There may be an ABE/ESL/ELL instructor in the classroom teaching alongside the CNA instructor.

Most entry-level career pathways programs will fit into this activity. This activity may be used in conjunction with classroom training or other educational programs. For example, if a participant is attending ESL/ELL or ABE outside of the IET/Bridge program training, both activities must be opened in Workforce One (WF1).

IET/Bridge programs may be included in an EP, but are limited to a 2-year associate degree or lesser. In order for this program to be approved, the participant or the ESP must ensure that:

- The goals in the participant's EP could be met with additional training that will allow the participant entrance into a career pathway.

- The participant can meet the requirements for eligibility and/or admission into the program.

- There is a reasonable expectation that the participant will complete the training program based on such factors as their current assessment, previous education, training, work history, current motivation, and circumstances.

The ESP must ensure that the participant is making satisfactory progress in the program. Satisfactory progress must be defined in the participant's EP. The ESP may accept or modify the definition of satisfactory progress used by the educational institution where the participant is enrolled. Both classroom and study hours count toward the work requirement for time-limited participants. Though self-initiated students are not subject to the work and time limit provisions, to remain SNAP eligible, self-initiated students must maintain satisfactory progress in the program.

Workforce One Activity: Integrated Education Training (IET)/Bridge Programs.