Brenda Dann-Messier, assistant secretary for Career, Technical, and Adult Education, will moderate a panel with local community college students at the National Conference on Integrated Basic Skills Pathways on Wednesday, April 30, in Bellevue, Wash. Dann-Messier will talk to the students about their educational journey as part of their integrated basic education and skills training.
Following the panel, Dann-Messier will brief the audience on federal adult education perspectives and discuss the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) Report. The PIACC is a household study developed under the auspices of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development. Specifically, PIAAC measures relationships between individuals' educational background, workplace experiences and skills, occupational attainment, use of information and communications technology, and cognitive skills in the areas of literacy, numeracy and problem solving.Dann-Messier leads the Department's efforts in adult, career, and technical education, as well as efforts supporting community colleges and correctional education. Her office oversees the administration of seven grant programs in these areas, totaling approximately $1.7 billion annually.