Workplace literacy programs are employer- and/or union-sponsored basic skills upgrading programs for workers and their families. Community-based literacy programs can support workplace programs. Several factors should be considered in Northern Ontario workplace literacy programs: (1) technological change; (2) aging population; (3) outmigration of young people; (4) limited life of some resource-based industries; (5) limited upgrading opportunities for adults; (6) skill level of the work force; (7) legislation; and (8) changing global markets. There are a number of time, cost, societal, and educational issues for both employers and employees when considering literacy programs. The organizational needs assessment (ONA) is the foundation on which a company can build a workplace literacy program. An ONA involves learning about and contacting a company and developing an action plan. There are two main parts of an ONA: the tour of the workplace and the interviews with employees. Once this information is recorded, recommendations and a literacy task analysis may then be prepared. Finally, in setting up a training program, the partners and the trainers must be identified. (A sample action plan and a case study are included. An appendix contains the following: job description for workplace literacy coordinates, time sheet, contact sheet, criteria for choosing instructors, questions for ONA, training needs assessment questionnaire, a paper on what makes northern literacy programs unique, three charts, a quiz on tomorrow's workforce, and a list of sources.) (NLA)