This article describes two decades of workplace basic skills efforts in the United States (mid 1980s to early 2000s). Private- and public-sector groups defined the problem of inadequate basic skills in the incumbent workforce. They raised awareness of this problem as it affected various segments of the workforce and diverse industries. They…

This paper gathers descriptions on the use of the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) and essential skills cross Canada. IALS was developed as a population measure to lay out the distribution of skills and their relationship to other social and economic attributes. The information was taken from federal, provincial, and territorial…

This paper attempts to identify some tools to help practioners think about, debate and plan Workplace Literacy and Essential Skills (WLES) programs. Such tools are necessary so that discussions between practitioners aiming to clarify good practice and successful approaches can get beyond mere descriptions of what happened. In order to compare and…

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…

Since the publication of the Moser Report in 1999, improving the basic skills of adults has been a major priority for all of the UK's governments. There has been a particular interest in building up workplace provision, because of the assumed relationship between the basic skills of the employed population and productivity. A longitudinal study…

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…

Jobs in the future will demand a more skilled and literate work force than we have. One solution to the basic skills problem lies in job-related, accomplishment-focused programs that benefit the organization and the employee. (JOW)

The author describes a workplace literacy program designed by the Milwaukee SER-Jobs for Progress, Inc. for Res Manufacturing Company. This program enabled Res Manufacturing to upgrade its employees' basic skills, increase productivity, and eliminate the need for layoffs. (CH)

Discusses the basic skills training program instituted for the nonexempt work force at First Chicago Corporation, the 10th-largest bank holding company in the United States. Presents the rationale for the program and describes the successful training efforts in place at the bank. (JOW)

Provides suggestions for designing customized basic skills instruction using work-related reading needs. Highlights opportunities for adult educators in workplace literacy. (SK)

The Job Enhancement Program at Texas Instruments is designed to strengthen work skills, promote flexibility, and improve the learning skills of employees. It started with a focus on functional literacy skills, but it has evolved into a comprehensive program to assist employees with academic and job-related skills. (JOW)

This guide, which is intended for project directors, coordinators, and other professional staff involved in developing/delivering workplace education programs, explains the process of developing a functional context workplace education curriculum. Discussed first are the following: the types of information needed to develop a functional context…

Based on data from the National Adult Literacy Survey (NALS) and census data, this document presents a series of studies on literacy in Nevada. Estimates of the literacy levels of Nevada's adults were derived from NALS data and census data. Employers who had in-state addresses and who employed 10 or more workers in unskilled jobs were surveyed to…

Describes the Southern Regional Education Board-State Vocational Education consortium, which envisions a major change in the way vocational education is delivered. Students must be educated for jobs, not trained for them. (JOW)

Describes the process used in developing custom-tailored workplace basic skills programs. Examples show that learning objectives are mainly the same skills that are taught in more generic classes. The difference is that they use scenarios and text directly from the workplace. (Author/JOW)