There are very few jobs today that do not require basic literacy and numeracy skills. Even when the job itself is manual, employees need to read health and safety notices, fill in a job sheet and check their pay and overtime hours. Service industry jobs place even more demands on the workforce, with their emphasis on efficiently and rapidly meeting customer demands using a variety of technological tools. In each of these areas it is also essential that employees can listen effectively and can speak confidently to colleagues and customers. This booklet has been produced for those of you who give advice in a range of contexts: in colleges; in workplaces; in the community; or in job centres. It has been designed to help you understand what basic skills are and why they are so important. It also gives some pointers to help you talk about basic skills needs.