The lack of emphasis on occupational literacy competencies in most public school reading curricula leaves students poorly prepared for the demands of the workplace. Most jobs require mastery of the following literacy competencies: technical vocabulary; locating and using information; following directions; and self-monitoring of comprehension and…

The average worker spends 2.5 hours per day in occupational reading or writing, yet most classrooms fail to teach the reading and writing competencies required in skilled and semi-skilled job contexts. Occupational reading requires use of external references and following of directions, with a heavy dependence on prior knowledge and on insight.…