The introduction of strict social distancing measures and mandated lockdowns necessitated by the coronavirus pandemic created new and unprecedented challenges for the vocational education and training (VET) sector. In response, approximately three-quarters (75.2%) of registered training organisations (RTOs) surveyed in early 2021 moved training to…

Examines ways in which the evaluative criteria of literacy education are being displaced by those with a work force development focus. Illustrates the consequences of criterion bleed: the concept of basic skills is being shifted from a means of democratic participation to a tool for employment. Urges adult literacy educators to adopt a critical…

A project created a model for literacy councils that would allow them to form working partnerships with small businesses and provide instruction based on the needs of both the employer and the employee. Fifty employers received Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council (GPLC) program information by mail; 20 participated in a workplace survey. Three…

Analysis of reading applications in everyday life and on the job should be done at the task level because a task is the lowest level of behavior that describes the performance of a meaningful function. The main objectives of such an analysis are to identify the technical aspects of the actions a learner performs in a functional setting and to…

This document describes five demonstration programs administered by the Enterprise Foundation in the Washington, D.C., area. The purpose of the Partners for Success Program is to support and assist hard-to-employ jobseekers in setting and achieving both professional and personal goals. The Words for Life Program is a workplace literacy project to…

Six demonstration projects were conducted in England to identify and help meet the basic communication needs of individuals who embarked on work-related skills training. Unemployed adults were divided into two strands. Strand A concentrated on those adults who without significant help with basic communication skills would be unable to reach the…

This report documents, in case study format, eight workplace literacy programs in Canada. Introductory materials highlight conclusions and discuss reasons for undertaking the project to document the Canadian experience in basic skills training from the perspective of the employer and employee and program design. Each case study or program profile…

This special topic issues focuses on workplace literacy. "Literacy Practices in Today's Workplace" (Larry Mikulecky) provides a picture of demands and practices in workplace literacy. "Workplace Literacy Skills: Making Reading Work for Work" (Esther Minskoff) advocates use of contextual instruction and offers guidelines for providing workplace…

A JTPA/FEL (Job Training Partnership Act/Family English Literacy) demonstration project is reported that involves a partnership between the Lao Family Community (LFC) of Minnesota, the City of St. Paul, and St. Paul Public Schools/Adult Basic Education. The goal is to provide workplace literacy instruction to refugees with limited English…

The Labour Adjustment Initiative was developed in Ontario to provide the ever-increasing number of laid-off workers with remedial basic skills training in order to prepare them for other jobs or further training. The model developed by the Literacy Branch of the Ontario government emphasized a collaborative approach that drew together all of the…

This report describes the following components of the Nestle Workplace Literacy Project: six job task analyses, curricula for six workplace basic skills training programs, delivery of courses using these curricula, and evaluation of the process. These six job categories were targeted for training: forklift loader/checker, BB's processing systems…

As the 16-24 age group, the traditional source of entry level workers, shrinks, employers increasingly have to hire the less advantaged to staff their entry-level work force; they must, therefore, hire people with deficient skills. At the same time, a mix of technical changes and heightened competition is increasing the skill level needed for work…

A New Jersey Task Force on Adult Literacy recommended ways to improve the literacy delivery system for adults. This report and its recommendations focus on improving coordinated interagency planning and accountability to increase governmental efficiency, and on advancing the employability and self-sufficiency of the three million low-literate…

Service integration is a public policy strategy that brings together many services for highly disadvantaged persons, refashions the delivery of those services to meet individual needs, and increases the possibility of long-term success. Literacy training is an appropriate centerpiece for service integration because it contributes to the long-term…

A study was conducted to determine what was happening in literacy programs as a result of the major welfare reform law passed in 1996, and whether basic skills instruction was part of the solution. A nationwide search for exemplary programs that are using basic skills instruction as a fundamental component of assisting welfare recipients in moving…