ABSTRACT
Adult and workforce education policy experts are deeply engaged in creating, enacting, and studying new visions for adult education and workforce development, and must develop the knowledge, skills, abilities, and relationships needed to do so. This chapter discusses careers in policy in the field of adult education relevant to practitioners, policy analysts, and researchers, outlining competencies related to adult education practitioner experience, familiarity with policy processes and development, and research and analysis. Policy leadership and accompanying areas require the ability to communicate effectively with the public, establish and grow partnerships across a variety of organizations and providers, and coordinate multifaceted systems for the delivery of adult educational services. Graduates of adult education programs possess a unique set of skills to help them excel at building connections between a wide range of stakeholders and channeling community-focused interests into meaningful policies at the local, state, and federal levels.
