Describes a workplace literacy project implemented at a hospital with help from a university and a literacy organization. Finds significant changes in all basic skill areas and improvement in job performance, attitude, and self-esteem. Argues that well-designed programs improve employee job performance when program success is closely linked to…

This brief presents summary information and contacts/references for a sampling of programs and resources that have been developed to support small business workplace literacy projects. Twenty-two contacts are included: Finger Lakes Regional Education Center for Economic Development; Development Assistance Corporation; Wayne Community College;…

This bulletin for businesses is a step-by-step guide to planning and implementing an effective job-related employee basic skills program. Part 1 provides general principles to guide the effort. It addresses literacy and basic skills, the importance of context, and changing requirements for literacy. A preview of key program principles concludes…

The globalization of business has influenced the development of customized, job-specific workplace literacy programs. Work-centered participatory literacy receives support from both business and labor and additional impetus from the National Literacy Act of 1991. The worker of the future will be a thinking and communicating problem solver. The…

This report summarizes the 18 programs that have received Governor's Workforce Excellence Awards in Ohio over the past 3 years. The 18 award winning programs (based in companies employing from 75 to 16,000 employees) focus on the basic literacy, thinking, and personal skills that every Ohio worker must possess. They were selected from nearly 100…

Four community colleges in North Carolina cooperated to provide workplace literacy education to employees of eight plants in the state. The target population for the program was 710 adults who had not completed high school or who were functioning below high school level who were employed at one of the industry sites. The Comprehensive Adult…

This brief lists computer-based adult literacy training materials. The listings are divided into three sections: work force/workplace literacy curricula; general curriculum/program development; and guides and research reports. The first section contains nine programs or sets of program materials (including computerized and print materials): Basic…

Homeless individuals are eligible for adult education services, such as literacy training and basic skills remediation, under the Stewart B. McKinney Homeless Assistance Act. In California, 7 agencies in 1989 and 13 in 1990 were selected as service providers to serve 100 homeless adults each per project year. Each funded agency assessed…

This document is an anthology containing 33 articles originally published in the Boston Adult Literacy Initiative's newsletter, "All Write News" during the past 10 years. The articles were chosen to deal with a wide variety of topics, to balance theory and practice, to include materials from all the years, and to include articles that have not…

Recent cognitive and historical research as well as the perspectives of workers can challenge the popular myths of literacy and work. It is believed that workers do not possess the necessary literacy skills for current and future jobs. Forecasters specify which groups will dominate the future work force--women, minorities, and immigrants. Since…

This article describes models of literacy education using the intergenerational approach. This approach attempts to teach both parents and children reading and writing, while also improving the parenting and job readiness skills of the parents. Several ongoing projects are described, such as the Kenan Trust Family Literacy Project in Kentucky and…

There are several sides to the debate between adult basic education administrators and teachers concerning the practice of defining literacy by, and dividing adult education programs into, grade levels. Some believe that grade levels are irrelevant or demeaning to typical adult job requirements. Others believe that numerical scores derived by…

This notebook contains materials for a workshop to teach participants how to address the needs of youth and adults for improved literacy, employability, and productivity. Chapter 1 provides information about the current state of youth and adult literacy, employability, and productivity in the United States. Chapter 2 presents a conceptual…

This document, which is intended for teachers, program directors, researchers, businesspeople, and students, is an annotated bibliography of more than 600 programs and resources that were developed with funds from the Office of Vocational and Adult Education in fiscal years 1987-1998. The document is divided into two parts. Part 1 is a summary of…

This book contains 25 papers on vocational and adult education in Europe and the United States. The following papers are included: "Vocational and Adult Education in Europe: Introduction to the Volume" (Fons van Wieringen, Graham Attwell); "Introduction to Section 1: Markets and Institutions in Vocational and Adult Education"…