LiteracyExpressCanadian Literacy and Learning Network Summer 2012

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upskilling the workforceL i t e r a c y a n d e s s e n t i a L s k i L L s i

i n t o d a y ’ s w o r k p L a c e

Tony Mark joined CLLN as a Project Manager for our Labour MarketStudy of Literacy and Essential Skills Workers which is being conducted nationally in 2012-2013. He brings extensive experience in project and researchmanagement as well as many years working in both the public and privatesectors in areas related to human resource development, training & professionaldevelopment and e-learning. He is working out of his home office in Ancaster, Ontario and can be reached via e-mail: tmark@literacy.ca

With us for the summer months, as research and communications assistant, is GenevièveTilden. She is a graduate student at Carleton University, re-directing her research expertise todevelop CLLN’s framework to facilitate life-long place-based learning communities. She toocan be reached via e-mail: researcherclln@gmail.com.

LiteracyExpressSummer 2012

1

cLLn n e w s

cLLn Labour Market study

U p d at e

in this issue:

cLLn news

4 Update: cLLn Labour Market

study

4 cLLn on parliament Hill

editor’s note

FocUs: the workplace

4 jobs oF tHe FUtUre: review

4 tHe baLancinG act

4 workpLace cULtUre:

MappinG it

4 expLorinG tHe everyday

experience oF work

4 oLes resoUrce:

takinG action

4 Learners’ viewpoint’

cLLn MeMbers’ corner

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During the first few months of the LabourMarket Study of Literacy and Essential Skillsworkers, CLLNs focus has been on gatheringthe team to bring together the profile of theL/ES workforce. With Project Manager Tony Mark joining in late April, a Request for Proposals process in May for the lead consultantto conduct the survey and the creation of anational Advisory Committee, the work iswell under-way.e first meeting of the Advisory Committeewas held in Ottawa earlier this month andkey decisions were made about the process forsurveying key informants and on-going communications.Comprised of leaders in the L/ES field, theAdvisory Committee includes members from:

4 Canadian Society for Training and Development

4 RESDAC - Réseau pour le développement

4 HR Council for the Non-Profit Sector

4 Skillplan – BC Construction Industry Skills Improvement Council

4 Government of Nova Scotia Labour and Advanced Education(Workplace Initiatives) Department

4 Saskatchewan Literacy Network4 Simon Fraser University

e next major steps in the project will be tocreate a database of L/ES workers that is largeenough to allow us to survey up to 3000L/ES workers. Field-testing of the surveyshould begin in the fall and the survey will beconducted in late 2012 and early 2013. Key informant interviews will also be conductedduring the late summer and early fall of thisyear to gather more in-depth information forthe study.

For regular updates on progress visitwww.literacy.ca/research-and-resourcesor contact CLLN’s Labour Market StudyProject Manager Tony Mark at tmark@literacy.ca .

Welcoming new staff

CLLN is funded by the Government ofCanada's Office of Literacy and Essential Skills

this newsletter is published by

Canadian Literacy and Learning Network342A Elgin Street

Ottawa, ONK2P 1M6

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LiteracyExpressSummer 2012

cLLn on parLiaMent HiLLG i v i n G e v i d e n c eCLLN was invited this month to give evidence at the parliamentary Standing Committee on Human Resources,Skills and Social Development, to contribute to their studiesinto the Skills Gap and Labour Shortages.

Here is Lindsay Kennedy’s full submission:

Good afternoon. First I would like to thank you for the opportunityto contribute to this committee's studies. It is easy for me to address both study subjects, as they are so inherently connected:the foundation of strong literacy and essential skills is now absolutely necessary to enter the labour market at any level, andno workforce can acquire advanced skills without that quintessential foundation. I would like to point out, that low skill jobs as we used to knowthem have really disappeared, most of these jobs have been automated in the last decade and we have not equipped thosewho have traditionally occupied these positions to continue topartake in the labour market. What has emerged is the fact, thatwe have an ever widening gap between high and low skilledCanadians. In the internationally recognized scale of literacy and essentialskills levels from 1 to 5 (and in danger of oversimplifying: imagine levels 1 and 2 as learning to read, and levels 3 and up asreading to learn) - level 3 is what has been established in the2004 StatsCan /OECD collaborative survey (Adult Literacy &Life Skills Survey) as the minimum level Canada’s workforceneeds to be at to allow Canadian business to stay competitive ina national as well as a global context. is is not only true for anew knowledge based economy, but transcends all sectors. Andas is apparent now, moving into the future, the need for continuousupskilling will be ever more evident. e difficult reality that we are facing as a nation, and I knowthat this is by no means news to this committee, is that 43% ofadult Canadians have literacy levels of below level 3. e abilityof 9.8 million adults [2011 census data] in this country is severely compromised to fully participate in civic and work life. Looking for a long-term approach and opportunities at this criticalpoint in time, CLLN has recently conducted research that explores the potential of an investment in adult literacy to reducegovernment and business expenditures on Employment Insurance,

Workers Compensation and Social Assistance benefits. We compared literacy statistics, income and earnings statistics andpeople in receipt of payments under those benefit programs. Wefound a strong correlation that suggests that the lower your level ofliteracy, the more likely you are to have to access these programs. We will be releasing a detailed analysis later this month - buthere is a preview of some of the more striking findings: It would cost $16 billion to increase literacy levels of all workingage adults to level 3. However, the return on this significant investment is in our view rather compelling:

4 Individuals' earnings could rise due to an increase in labour productivity by as much as $83.9 billion annually.

4 Employment Insurance, Workers Compensation and Social Assistance payments could drop by as much as $2.917 billionannually [EI - $330 million, Workers Compensation - $487 million, Social Assistance - $2.1 billion].

4 is combined annual increase and savings of $86.8 billion does not include government savings and increased revenue from income tax rolls.

e Canadian Chamber of Commerce says that “ More peoplewith advanced skills are needed for Canada to compete and prosper in a global, knowledge-based economy,” but you cannotbuild a skilled labour force without the basic foundational literaciesand essential skills. Investments into those with low skill levels isrequired to achieve a long term solution. Investments in raisingthe literacy and skills levels provides a greater return on investmentthan moving people up between the higher literacy levels and ensuresthat more Canadians have what is needed to fill the skills gap. To fulfill Prime Minister Stephen Harper’ promise that he madeat the World Economic Forum in Davos in January of this year,namely that the Canadian government will move ahead with“transformations necessary to sustain economic growth, job creation and prosperity now and for the next generation,” weneed a pan-Canadian human capital strategy. is strategy musthave the goal of a Canadian workforce with advanced skills at itscenter, and that goal can only be built on a strong foundation ofliteracy and essential skills.

ank you.

If you haven’t yet - check out our on-line forum for practitioners:

Thank you for joining us and sharing your opinions. We are looking forward to meeting you online.

go to http://educators.alphaplus.ca - Locate, and click on CLLN Forum; login or register

“We are about to encounter a crisis that will challenge oureconomic well-being and shake the foundations of our institutions and social structures. We cannot escape thechanges that lie just in front of us, despite how much our current economic woes may distract us from this reality. Wecannot escape, but we can prepare. e effectiveness of ourresponse or plan depends upon the creativity and determinationwe are prepared to apply to meeting this challenge.”

us starts Rick Miner’s most recent report on the state of thenation, Jobs of the Future. In it he details the good and thebad when it comes to job opportunities, job preparedness andthe skills gap in Canada. Miner is picking up the thread hestarted two years ago in his report People Without Jobs, JobsWithout People, where he warned that time is of the essence.Aptly illustrating then the advent of a perfect storm - a decliningworking age population colliding with the emergence of the

knowledge economy, that will require a workforce that has tohave post secondary credentials (be it through apprentice-ships, university, college, industry initiatives), the numbersclearly showed that Canada was not ready to meet that challenge. "By 2011, the problem Will begin to appear. And ifwe delay our response, then we will find that when we are readyto grow we will be constrained by a workforce that is out of balance with the needs of our economy. e time for action isnow" was his conclusion to that report.It is two years later and ‘skills gap’ and ‘labour shortage’ areterms that have made their way into daily media reports, public policy discussions and personal conversations. While ,increasing immigration, relying on technology and raising theage of normal retirement are temporary band-aids, Miner iscoming back with a concrete suggestion as part of a long termsolution. is time with even more urgency than in 2010:

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Jobs of the Future: Options and Opportunities A research report by Dr. Rick Miner

reviewL e a r n i n g f o r t h e F u t u r e

editor’s n o t eIt’s been again a busy few months since the last LiteracyExpress.Much of our efforts outside of the day-to-day work, which isexciting and plentiful in itself, has been making sure that thevoice of Literacy and Essential Skills has been audible in allthose places where leaders are grappling with the challenge ofpositioning Canada’s economy and citizens’ well being for thefuture. We presented to Parliament and Canadian business.e skills gap is on everybody’s mind and CLLN is an activeparticipant in the discussions to finding a solution, While everybody who is anybody in our field is attending theCentre for Literacy’s Summer Institute in Montreal - this year’stheme being Workplace Literacy and Essential Skills (check outtwitter #SIMtl or partake in the discussion on the blog:http://cflsi2012.wordpress.com), we thought it would be a goodtime to support and contribute to the discussion by focusing onall things workplace related in this issue of LiteracyExpress.

is jam-packed issue talks about everything: from skills gapand job market prognosis to all aspects of delivering programsin the workplace; we profile tools for businesses to assess theirown need for training and are sharing insights from our AdultLearners Focus Group about their experience of workplace Literacy and Essential Skill programming. And we have added a new feature: the members’ corner, wherewe invite our membership to make announcements, share accomplishments and list important events. Last but not least I would like to thank Ashley Counsell,Tracy Defoe and Diana Twiss for their contributions to thisissue, sharing their invaluable experiences, giving this issue atruly rounded, pan-Canadian view of workplace L/ES trainingdelivery. Enjoy!

ANNeTTe HeGeL

e Balancing ActAshley Counsell

he makes it very clear that if we want more people to participatein formal post secondary education that system needs a completeoverhaul, all the while “creating new partnerships among partiesthat have hitherto not worked together”. At the heart for long-term planning, Miner suggests the foundingof a Centre for Research, Economic Development and AdvancedCurriculum Design, an entity that would bring various actors together in a working relationship. As a regional institution,such a Centre,”with a small permanent staff, would be tasked withcoordinating the major players in the community (communitygroups, educational institutions, governments, businesses, labour),helping them to identify long-term strategies working with their educational partners to develop curriculum that would move thecommunity forward. A significant output of the Centre would bethe development of curricula relevant to an economy in transition.is would be available to universities and colleges in both the public and private sectors, and to business. e intention would beto assist our post-secondary institutions, with the help of business,adapt more quickly and more effectively to the changing needs forrelevant market-ready graduates.” is, Miner points out, wouldallow communities to have a pro-active approach to their socialand economic development.

By no means does Miner suggest that this would be the only solution, but he sees this as a start for discussion and he invites further engagement. What needs to be part of the discussion around a fundamentalredesign of Canada’s post secondary system is a hard, honestlook at the feeders, the K to 12 systems, where so many studentsfall through the cracks for various reasons. It definitely seems tobe the perfect opportunity and point in time for the L/ES community to get involved in discussions and planning, tobroaden the focus far beyond formal post secondary education,so any new national adult education framework will be able toengage all, even the most marginalized communities.

DR. RICK MINER has over 35 years of experience working

in Canada’s post-secondary sector. He was most recently

the President of Seneca College, and before that held

senior administrative positions at the University of New

Brunswick and Saint Mary’s University. He is now a principal

at Miner and Miner Management Consultants.

To download and read both reports in their entirety, please

visit http://www.minerandminer.ca/

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in tHe workpLacep r o G r a M d e L i v e r y

essential Skills training programs delivered in theworkplace require a multi-level assessmentprocess that allow our experts to familiarizethemselves with the workplace culture, understand the tasks of a specific job andgain an understanding of what the em-ployer and employees expect to gain froma training program.

Workplace Essential Skills are important toemployers because they want to see theiremployees develop and because they see thebenefit for their organization. Connecting organizational needs (e.g. increasing productivity) to individual learner needs

(e.g. learning to use complex documents) demonstrates how investing in employees can

meet the business needs of an organization.When employers’ expectations are met,businesses begin selling the concept ofworkplace training within their community. is has benefits to individual learners, their communityand the workplace.

continued on page 5

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If any of you have wondered how to develop a workplacetraining program that addresses the employer’s workplacechallenges at the same time as meeting the essential skillsneeds of the employees, I would like to share our experiencesof how we enjoy this success. As you might imagine, the em-ployer’s expectations are not necessarily the same as the em-ployees. ere is certainly a bit of a juggling act to find thebalance that connects the two. How It Works

We begin with a training needs assessment process which provides an understanding of the organizational needs. We address these needs directly in the Essential Skills training bybeginning with an examination of the job requirements forthe targeted occupation(s) and developing an Essential SkillsProfile. Essential Skills Profiles are linked to the National OccupationalClassification system and follow a scale of complexity. eprocess of creating a firm (workplace) specific profile allows usto identify the skill levels for the tasks required for the targeted occupation. Once we have this benchmark established we meet one-on-one with the adult learners. Operating from a strength-basedapproach we utilize a series of assessment tools to recognizethe skills that they have already attained and gaps that mayexist. is data helps us to conduct a gap analysis which allows us to begin the process of customizing training.roughout delivery, trainers monitor individual learning objectives (which are related to their job tasks as per the job-specific profile) as well as the overarching training objectiveswhich meet the employer’s expectations.

In essence, the identified job-specific tasks and gathering ofauthentic workplace materials are the means by which ourpractitioners teach literacy and essential skills while meetingthe needs of employers. In the end, we are able to balance thetraining objectives of employers and employees. Both groupsoften recognize that the skills the employees learn at work areskills they can take home and into their community.

Administrative Guidelines, Workplace Essential Skills Program.Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour.Province of New Brunswick.

Ashley Counsell, Workplace Essential Skills Regional Coordinator, Department of Post-Secondary Education,

Training and Labour. Province of New Brunswick

Ashley Counsell has been working with the Department of Post-secondary Education, Training and Labour since

2007 where she focused her work on providing employment services to unemployed and underemployed New

Brunswickers’. Prior to this she worked with the Department of Social Development in the Career Development

Opportunities Branch.

Ashley holds a bachelors degree in Psychology and Sociality and is currently working on her Masters degree in Education.

Ashley has worked with the WES program since 2009 as a Regional Coordinator where she has led her team through the development

of multiple training initiatives in the workplace and throughout her community in Central and Western New Brunswick.

e Balancing Act continued

Share your work with the network! Let us know about resources, new

research or the work you are doing.

Contact Annette Hegel at ahegel@literacy.ca to get your info out nation-wide in

LiteracyExpress or on www.literacy ca.

Have you ever been invited to a workplace that youthought would be familiar, and found yourself in unfriendly territory? Or maybe you have been sent to aworkplace by your organization to lead a literacy or essential Skills group with only a sketchy picture of whatthe place is like, and why training is currently being offered to these workers? Being a workplace practitioner,you are a guest, and sometimes a change agent in lots ofwork cultures. I have always found this to be one of thebest parts of the job. We are explorers.

I want to share with you one of the ways I deal with my culture learning curve in a workplace – through mapping.And I want to give you the GPS to go with your map —Good Practice Solutions. I find that with a map and GPS, I don’t gettoo far off track.

The basics of GPS are simple.

Know that the work culture is not necessarily your culture.Admit to yourself that you are on a learning curve to understand the people and the place.

Pay attention to what people say, say they do, actually do, andhow they group. Observe. Listen. Ask naive questions like,“How does this work here?” Notice the local jargon, theacronyms, the power words.

Write your observations down.

Make a visual. You can see clusters and how things connect orflow in a map. I like to draw a free hand diagram that lookslike a map. As long as you can read it, and you could show itto someone, it works as a map.

Find the true north to orient the map. What is the guidinglight for the place? Is it productivity improvement? Greaterparticipation? Flexible workers? Name it and mark it on themap. Do you have different true north and does your

organization? Your funder? Better get that in the picture, oryou could end up going in circles.

ink, and puzzle over what you have observed. Make notesafter conversations or interviews. Write on your lesson plans,if you get as far as lessons. Reflect on your actions and add tothe map. Refine the picture as you get more detail. You don’thave to spend a lot of time on this, but neglecting it and relying only on your memory could leave you in the weedsrather than on the road you agreed to trail-blaze or cruise.

Part of the value of mapping that it can literally draw assumptions to the foreground. Mapping is also adaptable as aplanning and communication tool. Just keep your GPS, GoodPractice Solutions, at hand. In our Embedding Literacy andEssential Skills in the Workplace study we used mapping tofind opportunities for our action research. In our guidebook,How to Embed Literacy and Essential Skills in the Workplace, we show a map and share the lessons learned inthat multi-year project.

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Workplace Culture: Mapping it GPS for Workplace Practitioners

Tracy Defoe

in tHe workpLacep r a c t i t i o n e r s

Tracy Defoe and The Learning Factor Inc.work with forward-thinking companies,community organizations and their partnerson the learning and literacy challenges ofthe workforce. Her work typically involvesresearch, program design and development,

delivering customized training, teaching peer trainers,evaluation and being a catalyst for change. Tracy wasone of the researchers on Decoda Literacy SolutionsSociety’s Embedding Literacy and Essential Skills in theWorkplace project. TLFI – The Learning Factor Inc. is aCanadian organization dedicated to making businessand labour smarter about learning through innovationsin workplace education. It's the home of workplace education consultant Tracy Defoe.

To find out more visit http://www.thelearningfactor.ca/

LiteracyExpressSummer 2012

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Embedding Literacy and Essential Skills in the Workplace – is anaction-research project borne in part out of the disappointmentof setting up workplace programs, running them for a few yearsand then watching them end as soon as the funding stopped. Italso came from the frustration of those instances where we couldn’t even get a program running. Despite the need for trainingand increasing the skills of the workers, a strong commitmentfrom management to support it, and buy-in from workers, toooften one of the results of the needs assessment is the realizationthat because of the structure of the workplace, their operationalrequirements and the working day, it is impossible to mount aworkplace program. What then?We decided we needed to find a new strategy, one with a sustainableapproach that would seamlessly fit into the rhythms of the workenvironment. At the heart of this idea are the following facts: 4 everyone in the workplace is learning all the time, sometimes

not positively4 realistically, you can never have enough time or money to

really support the few learners who commit to a learning program and attend

4 CEO’s have observed that their managers learned a great deal of highly useful stuff interacting with a workplace learning professional

So by inserting workplace learning professionals into three sectors– Healthcare, Corrections and Aboriginal Friendship Centres –we explored the idea of embedding and looked at what it wouldtake to get people in a workplace environment to consider how awee focus on literacy and essential skills could help them do theirjobs more safely, more productively and with greater joy. We figured that rather than targeting the workers with lower literacy skills, we would look at the entire working environmentand see places where people were getting stuck, transitions weretaking place or things were going wrong. What was going on inthese moments? And to what extent did people’s reading, writing,math, communication skills (or lack of ) have an effect on whatwas taking place?

In asking this simple question, we learned several things. First,when we think about literacy and essential skills, we tend tofocus on people’s reading ability. If they don’t understand something or if they misunderstand, it must be because theyhave a low reading level. e second thing we learned was that,because of the focus on people’s reading ability, we were failing tonotice that a lot of the material is poorly written. e reason people didn’t understand the company policy was largely becauseit was so badly written. And because of this, many of the workerswouldn’t or couldn’t read it in its entirety. We also learned that oftentimes things were going wrong, or appeared to be going wrong because no one could agree on theway that something was to be done – it had never been writtendown. And it had not been written down because the folksdoing the work didn’t like writing, and the folks in charge didn’tknow this was the reason for inconsistency. We also learned thatmost people in a workplace think skills training is for the otherguy, not for them. What we managed to do in our project was to get people thinkingabout their work, what they had to do, and what ways their skillswere having an impact on the process or task being done at work.We asked them to think about different or better ways to do it,and to even question if it needed to be done at all. What we witnessed was the beginnings of shift in culture, and shift in theirsystems as their awareness about literacy and essential skills grew.is project ends in September, but it will go on in various ways.For the real lasting change is from the system change in theeveryday lived experience of work.

exploring the everyday experience of Work

Diana Twiss

in tHe workpLacea c t i o n - r e s e a r c H p r o j e c t

Diana Twiss is the Director of Adult andWorkplace Learning at Decoda LiteracySolutions. Decoda Literacy Solutions isBC’s literacy organization. Formed in2011 it brings together the rich history ofLiteracy BC and the literacy arm of 2010

Legacies Now Society. More information about thisproject and the resources produced can be found on thedecoda.ca website in September 2012.

How to do it

Integrating essential skills into your busi-ness practices does not have to be timeconsuming or complicated. To help youget started, use Taking Action: A Guidethat outlines a step-by-step process —including helpful strategies and usefultips — for developing and integratingessential skills training in the work-place

Identify needs

e first step in developing an effective training strategy is tocreate a skills development plan using worksheets and check-lists such as the Organizational Needs Assessment. It can helpyou:

4 Identify the skills required for your business

4 Identify the skill strengths or areas that may require improvement among your staff

4 Make informed decisions about training and learning in the workplace

Implement a plan of action

Once you have completed a needs assessment, identified youremployees' training objectives, and considered the most effec-tive way to engage your staff, it's time to implement your es-sential skills training plan. Here are a few tips:4 Assume a leadership role and lead by example

4 Gain employee buy-in by making the training relevantto the job and focusing on the needs of your employees

4 Limit barriers to develop and secure employee participation — participation fosters ownership, improves credibility and encourages employees to become champions of the program

Whether you are just starting your business or planning forgrowth, implementing either a targeted or broader program toboost essential skills can help your business prosper.

To learn more about essential skills and to access helpfulguides, checklists and worksheets, check out the Office of Literacy and essential Skills' website.

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Taking Action: A GuideIntegrating essential Skills Training into the Workplace

in tHe workpLaceo L e s t o o L s

In today's knowledge-based economy, businesses that develop their employees' skills will reap the benefits. Improving essentialskills can help boost the productivity, innovation and overall competitiveness of your business. It is never too early or toolate to start investing in your employees.

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Learners’ v i e w p o i n tIn April 2012, CLLN engaged a consultant to facilitate discussion among a group of adults who had participated inworkplace/workforce education and training. e Focusgroup participants were gathered from across Canada. eoutcome of the session was to inform policy developmentat CLLN from the consumer or client perspective.

e overwhelming message from Focus Group participantswas that students (individuals who participant in L/ES programs) should have a voice in the development of L/ESprogramming in Canada. Further, students are interestedin making programs more responsive, of a consistentlyhigh quality and more accessible. Students’ experiences, insights and opinions are important and valuable for informing program design, teaching approaches and policydevelopment for adult education and training. Studentswant to participate during the development of L/ES training,along with government, business, labour and educators.ey believe that key stakeholders should actively participatein the creation of a Canadian L/ES system that meets adult

education principles and supports workers to gain skills andknowledge for the ever-advancing demands of the economyand society.

Working lunch during April 2012 focus group meeting

LookinG aHead w H a t ’ s c o M i n G y o U r w a y

e CLLN office is working away busily over the summermonths. Here is a list of activities coming down the pipebefore the Fall Issue (focus: Building Lifelong LearningCommunities):

By late summer, you can look forward to perusing the2012 State of the Field Report which will give you an in-depth look at the capacity of the pan-Canadian Literacyand essential Skills Network as well as better understandingof the broader economic, social and political environmentrelevant to achieving economic well-being and an inclusive,prosperous Canada.

We are working on an annotated catalogue and video trailers of tools out of the vast OLeS vault of L/eS toolsmaking sure that no awesome tool gets forgotten!

We are tackling the issues of Social Impact Bonds and Social Return on Investment to make sure that the Field iswell informed and has mechanisms in place to respond tothis trend in funding solutions in the future. We arepreparing fact sheets and will hold online information sessions later this summer. email ahegel@literacy.ca if youwant to be on the mailing list for detailed information andadvance notice of online sessions.

early September will see the long awaited release of thestudy-guide to accompany “ellen’s Story” - the manuscriptis getting a last look-over from Jenny Horsman’s expert eye- making sure that it is going to be the best resource it can be.

for updates and announcements, make sure you follow us on

To better find the most innovative methods of training, the Ontario LiteracyCoalition (OLC) is thrilled to announce it is celebrating its 25th anniversarywith a new strategy, mission, vision and brand, including a new name: Essential Skills Ontario and website - www.essentialskillsontario.ca.The organization’s new strategy reaffirms its commitment to work to findthe most innovative and effective methods of providing literacy and essential skills training to adults in Ontario.

The world has changed drastically over the past 25 years: the rapid advancement of technology and changing workplaces means adults musthave a wider range and higher levels of literacy and essential skills thanthey had 25 years ago. The organization’s new brand will allow it to speak

to all the essential and evolving skills adults need to find or keep work, participate in their communities and lead a full life.

“Our Board of Directors and staff are thrilled to become EssentialSkills Ontario. Our new name and brand allow us to expand the reachof the organization and better achieve our mission of inspiring andleading the development of literacy and essential skills solutions,”says Lesley Brown, Executive Director of Essential Skills Ontario.

In honour of our 25th anniversary, Essential Skills Ontario will be releasingnew reports, white papers and numerous webinars that will showcase newideas around education and training for adults - please stay tuned and visitour website often.

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cLLn MeMbers’

bibLioGrapHy oF workpLace Literacy MateriaLs

new strateGy, Mission, vision and brand

HirinG aboriGinaL

Literacy coordinator

workpLace sUpport & traininG in saskatcHewan

c o r n e r

CLLN MembershipIf you aren’t already a member, or haven’t renewed your membership,

please click here for the membership form on the CLLN website.We have two types of membership available – general and organizational. If you have any questions about becoming a member,

or renewing your membership, please call the office at 613-563-2464 or email us at clln@literacy.ca.

Training employees not only boosts their confidence,but helps build the skills necessary to their success;thus, improving the bottom line of businesses everywhere. For every 1% increase in literacy skills,productivity has been known to increase by 2.5%,

which means that employees are better equipped to help businesses succeed (Public Investment in Skills: Are Canadian Governments DoingEnough?, C.D. Howe Institute, 2005). Through skills training and employercommitment to the development of essential skills, workplaces are buildinga workforce that is ready for success in the 21st Century.Essential skills are key to the development of all other skills used at work, athome, and in the community. The nine essential skills are: reading; document use; numeracy; writing; oral communication; working with others;thinking critically; computer use; and continuous learning. It is crucial thatevery person have a strong foundation of learning that is built upon these skills.

The Saskatchewan Literacy Network provides support and training to workplaces that continue to invest in their employees, which helps keepthat bottom line healthy. We work with employers to bring an understandingof essential skills, link them to community partners, and provide them withthe tools to invest in the essential skills of their workforce. Improving the essential skills of all employees helps workplaces benefit from improvedworkplace safety, competence, job satisfaction, and employee retention.

Contact Karen Rosser at 1-888-511-2111 or

Karen.Rosser@sk.literacy.ca to find out more about how essential

skills programming will improves the workplace (www.sk.literacy.ca).

The Saskatchewan Literacy Network is a nonprofit organization

dedicated to supporting literacy and learning in Saskatchewan

workplaces.

Literacy Partners of Manitoba is looking to fill an Aboriginal

Literacy Coordinator Contract position.

Closing date for applications is noon CST Friday July 6, 2012.

To find out more about this job, please click here

Decoda Literacy Solutions’ Library has created an annotated bibliography of workplace literacy materials of interest to educators,tutors, practitioners and anyone who is interested in workplace literacy. Every item on this list is available, either from the Decoda library or online. Click here to link to bibliography.