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…

A project was conducted to improve the productivity and efficiency of 10 manufacturers by providing workplace literacy instruction to workers lacking basic skills required for their jobs, and to improve the capability of educational programs to meet the basic skill needs of the manufacturing industry by developing an evaluation manual for basic…

Media reports suggest widespread illiteracy among adults who may not be able to read, write, speak, or otherwise communicate competently enough to meet the demands of modern society. There is no consensus on the definition of illiteracy or supporting statistics. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the adult illiteracy rate is 13…

A study of why adult literacy students stopped attending beginning reading tutorial programs was conducted at nine sites that were part of the Pittsburgh Literacy Initiative. A total of 192 adults were identified as having discontinued their reading programs, all of which were one-on-one tutorial programs. The reading level of these dropouts had…

Employers find it increasingly difficult to hire competent workers, in part because expectations are rising in the face of global competition. A single standard of literacy is an inadequate measure. The National Assessment of Educational Progress' profile of 3,600 young adults measured three types of literacy: prose (reading and interpretation),…

The need for training in basic skills in the workplace in Britain has been produced by demographic changes, new technology, changes introduced in firms, the European Single Market due in 1992, and the required competitive bidding for some contracts. Workbase, a nonprofit organization, offers training and support for training organizations, Local…

This literature review observes that (1) there is an increasing need for enhancing job literacy skills among workers; (2) workplace literacy programs cover both basic literacy and job-related technical training; (3) successful curricula use job-related tasks and materials; and (4) management needs to be heavily involved and committed if a program…

As part of a project that identified the specific literacy skills required in ten occupations, this report provides two levels of instructional information about draftsmen. Factual data are presented in Parts I and II for use in decision making by program developers, administrators, teachers, and counselors. These sections note the specific…

As part of a project that identified the specific literacy skills required in ten occupations, this report provides two levels of instructional information about welders. Factual data are presented in Parts I and II for use in decision making by program developers, administrators, teachers, and counselors. These sections note the specific literacy…

A 2-year project was conducted to improve the productivity of the work force through improvement of literacy skills in the workplace by providing instruction to employees in the printing industry in the Baltimore (Maryland) metropolitan area; Carroll County and Charles County, Maryland; and York, Pennsylvania. The project was organized with input…

The aim of the Basic Skills at Work Program was to help improve the competence of the work force in England and Wales in basic literacy, numeracy, and communication skills. Of the 82 Training and Enterprise Councils (TECs) in England and Wales, 73 participated. Surveys of basic skills requirements as perceived by local employers indicated that…

The Champaign County (Ohio) Board of Education asked four companies to participate in a workplace literacy project: Hall Company, Grimes Aerospace, LewiSystems, and Comdyne. Companies supplied training facilities and paid release time for employee participants. Seventeen classes were completed; 13 were attended by recruited participants, 4 by…

This resource book provides information on developing a workplace literacy program, descriptions of Florida Workplace Literacy Programs, and an annotated bibliography of resources. An introduction discusses the problem of basic skills deficiencies, projections that indicate the problem will increase, the Florida context, and benefits realized when…

This document, which is designed to assist workplace education practitioners in business, education, and labor partnerships funded through the Massachusetts Department of Education's Workplace Literacy Program, includes materials for an 18-month workplace education program that was developed as part of a partnership between the Asian American…

The Workplace Improvement of Necessary Skills (WINS) project was initiated by a statewide coalition of Washington businesses and educational institutions to prepare workers in a number of high-performance workplaces to participate fully in their work environments. Together, the project's 11 sites served 872 participants. All project instructors…