The fifth National Education Goal--every adult will be literate and possess the necessary skills for competing in a global economy and to exercise the rights and responsibilities of citizenship--is being implemented in part through workplace literacy programs. To reach the goal of universal literacy in the United States, five objectives were established. The second of these objectives--all workers will have the opportunity to acquire the knowledge and skills needed to adapt to constantly emerging new technologies, new work methods, and new markets through public and private vocational, technical, workplace, or other innovative programs--is the focus of this digest. Such programs focus on raising workers' skill levels to improve their performance in complex work environments. Through increased federal and state attention, workplace literacy programs have proliferated. Examples of successful programs illustrate innovative approaches or solutions to problems other program developers may face. SALSA (Southwest Advanced Learning System for Adults) trained Motorola employees to use home computers for accessing computer-based instruction. A union-sponsored program enabled health care workers to prepare for college and professional advancement by improving their reading, writing, and math skills. In Saskatchewan (Canada), workers trained as course leaders returned to their worksites to implement programs featuring cooperative learning and self-pacing. The Competitive Skills Project equipped chemical industry workers with higher skills needed to participate in total quality management. California migrant workers improved their English proficiency and learned life skills for entering mainstream U.S. society. Sources such as the Adult Learning and Literacy Clearinghouse of the U.S. Department of Education and the ERIC Clearinghouse on Adult, Career, and Vocational Education provide additional information on workplace literacy for program developers. (SK)