I have myself witnessed some wonderful workforce and workplace preparation programming that does address essential skills.
Really excellent models are ones that are locally based. They take into consideration the community needs, the local labour market, the cultural elements, and the needs that surround individuals in terms of other supports to allow them to work. Examples of where this approach would be effective might be communities where individuals who would like to work cannot access appropriate supports for their personal, emotional, psychological, or physical needs. In some cases, this support includes being able to find adequate child care to be able to work on a regular basis.
Programs in workplaces and workforce programs in communities that link directly to the kinds of job-specific and technical skills needed in the local community tend to be a really good model. In other words, underlying essential skills are addressed on an ongoing basis and made incredibly relevant to the adult, because they are immediately applied to the work they are undertaking in their jobs or to the jobs they would like to compete for in their local community.