This report projects Northern Ireland's skills base through to 2030 and compares this to a number of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries. The report shows that on current trends Northern Ireland will continue to lag many other countries on a number of measures of learning and skills in 2030. These shortfalls can…

Student Services support, including learning skills assistance, can be integral in empowering learners. First-year students are expected to be self-directed in their learning, yet may have neither been challenged nor experienced negative consequences for a lack of perseverance. Academic skills professionals can be partners with teaching faculty in…

This paper looks at the importance of mechanisms that give formal recognition to vocational skills acquired through work-based learning and how such mechanisms might be developed. It describes how skill recognition can benefit individuals, employers and society as a whole, and identifies in which contexts skill recognition has the highest…

This first "OECD Skills Outlook" presents the initial results of the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC), which evaluates the skills of adults in 22 OECD member countries and two partner countries. The PIAAC survey was designed to provide insights into the availability of some key skills and how they are used at work and at home through the…

For over 30 years, Movement for Canadian Literacy (MCL) has provided a forum and voice for literacy organizations, practitioners and learners across the country. In partnership with its member literacy coalitions, learner representatives from every province and territory and other key stakeholders, MCL has supported the literacy and essential…

This revised report was prepared for the Canadian Literacy and Learning Network (CLLN) and the thirteen-member provincial and territorial literacy coalitions. The purpose of the report is: (1) To provide background information on the labour market transfers from the Federal Government to the provincial and territorial governments; (2) To outline…

Learning always takes place in a particular context and culture, yet educators have tended to focus their attention mainly on the form of learning, its methodology, content and teaching approach. While these can and do affect learning and its results, this paper looks beyond the particulars of the program to explore how the context and culture of…

This article examines evidence of academic skill development and transfer related to the taking of a first year Inquiry-based seminar course designed to enhance a range of self-directed learning skills and their transferability to other learning contexts. The study compares a sample of academic work from two groups of Social Sciences students, one…

Clarifies the meaning of the life skills approach by looking at appropriate content and methods. The content of the life skills approach includes the themes of knowing and developing oneself and effective communication and relationships with others. (Author/BEF)

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…

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…

The experience of eight prominent Canadian business organizations was examined in terms of how basic skills deficits are identified in their work force, the impact of those deficiencies on organizational competitiveness, and why corporate programs are developed in response to the issue. Some of the key findings were as follows: (1) employee…

The following major adjustments called for by the British Columbia Social Studies Assessment of 1977 are reflected in this elementary-junior high school guide: a broader interpretation of social studies; a greater specificity in what is to be taught; a greater emphasis on the study of Canada; a closer match between content and student needs; and a…

A workshop on Literacy and the Right to Know discussed the problems of illiteracy on the job, especially in the context of teaching workers about job hazards. Participants approached the topic from a number of angles: the dimensions of the problem of literacy in workplaces; the impact of Right-to-Know legislation; the role of training and…

Researchers examined procedures for collecting data on students' competency in two fundamental motor skills, criteria for assessing skill proficiency, and results across several grades. They task-analyzed videotapes of students' performance and determined that most students did not meet criterion expectations associated with an advanced form for…