This document analyses and evaluates the findings of the second pilot year of the National Literacy Trust's speaking and listening project, Words for Work. This year's project worked with 219 year 9 pupils across England, and engaged 91 volunteers from the business community to facilitate group work that encouraged pupils to investigate their own…

Research (Martin, 2008) has shown that speaking and listening are the literacy skills most used in the world of work. Yet, employers frequently bemoan the lack of young people's communication skills, with many believing that it impacts their chances of making it through an interview and their future employability (Simon, 2009). Effective speaking…