A study investigated ways employers and their apprentices and trainees perceive how these employees' English language and literacy (ELL) skills affect their learning and performance in the workplace in the current context of New Apprenticeships. The research design and methodology involved sending an opinion survey to a stratified random sample of Queensland business employers and their apprentices and trainees and case study interviews conducted in a range of industries across three states. Research stages were literature review, consultation and survey item development, and trial and administration of the survey and site visits. Findings indicated employers were significantly less positive about their employees' ELL skills than the employees themselves, but both groups identified the same skills as in need of improvement. Issues and trends related to differences between employers' and employees opinions, the importance of and approaches to teaching functional literacy skills, debate on the differences between ELL-skill demands for the job compared with those required for learning differences in on-the-job demands across industries, recruitment, transition into the job, and mentoring. Areas for skills clarification and improvement were identified along with issues related to the impact of technological and workplace change and implications for skills related to the concept of lifelong learning. (Appendixes include 75 references and surveys.) (YLB)