National Adult Literacy Database

Perspectives on Labour and Income, Vol. 24, No. 3 - August 22, 2012

Series: Perspectives on Labour and Income – Statistics Canada

Authors: André Bernard

Collection: Research Materials

Relying mainly upon data from the Employment Insurance Coverage Survey from 2006 to 2010, this Statistics Canada study looks at how unemployed adults age 55 to 64 search for a job, compared with their younger counterparts.

The analysis show that the older unemployed adults spent an average of 13 hours per week looking for work, similar to the amount of time spent by those age 20 to 34. However, there are differences in job-search methods between the younger and older unemployed, with older job seekers less inclined to contact an employer directly and to use the Internet, and more likely to search primarily through job ads.

The older unemployed are not significantly less likely to look for work outside their community. The probability of the unemployed age 55 to 64 looking for work outside their community was 39 percent, compared with 43 percent for those 20 to 34.

Eighty-one percent of the older adults were likely to say they would accept a job offer at a lower wage than in their previous job, compared with 69 percent among younger job seekers.

Most of the older unemployed were pessimistic about their chances of finding an acceptable job within the next three months, with about 58 percent describing their chances as not very good. That is nearly twice the proportion of younger unemployed adults who felt that way.

Added: 2012-12-04

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See also:

• La recherche d'emploi chez les chômeurs âgés

Authors: Tri-County Literacy Network (TCLN), TVCOGECO Chatham

Collection: Learning Materials

This 10-minute video focuses on the experiences of two people who took part in adult upgrading programs offered throughout the Chatham-Kent, Sarnia-Lambton and Windsor-Essex regions of Ontario.

One participant describes spending his early years in a variety of foster homes, with little opportunity to get a solid basic education. Through the upgrading program, he filled the gaps in his education and continued on to college, where he is learning a trade.

The other subject explains that she left school after getting pregnant at the age of 17. After completing educational upgrading, she got a job as a cashier in a store and quickly progressed to becoming a supervisor and, eventually, assistant manager.

The video includes information on how to find upgrading programs and register for them.

Added: 2011-07-08

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A survey of adaptive technology in learning programs

Authors: Jennifer Hunt

Collection: Learning Materials

This manual was originally developed to accompany four online training modules for literacy practitioners in Ontario as
part of a project funded by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, National Literacy Secretariat in 2005.

Learning Tools that Work provides an overview of a selection of adaptive technology and assistive devices that have
been field tested at Action Read over the last four years. The information in this manual has proved useful to educators
in a variety of contexts including literacy, adult upgrading, special needs, classroom instructors and learning disabilities
specialists who are trying to find resources for specific learning needs for both children and adults. In recognition of the
limited budget most programs have, this survey includes information about the types of technology available, its
benefits, cost, best uses, limitations, where to purchase and low cost/low tech alternatives.

Funders:

• 
• OLES

Added: 2006-05-03

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Authors: Maria Salomon, Anna de Aguayo, Jocelyn Charron, Linda Shohet

Collection: Research Materials

This document describes a project, carried out between October 2010 and August 2011, to find out more about the literacy and essential skills (LES) needs of Anglophone adults living in Quebec.

In the first stage of the project, researchers collected, summarized and analyzed existing literature, surveys, and unpublished data on the Anglophone community in Quebec, with particular reference to LES and related issues. This literature review included work published since 2000, but concentrated on studies produced since 2006.

During the second stage, a researcher asked key informants, individually or in focus groups, to reflect on what they considered the most important changes in Quebec Anglophone literacy over the preceding 10 years. There was also a focus group of nine English-language literacy workers.

Both stages of the project revealed differences between the composition and needs of Anglophone populations in Montreal and in other regions of Quebec. In Montreal, the English-speaking community has grown much more diverse in the past 20 years, with a large visible minority component and a growing number of Aboriginal Anglophones. By contrast, Anglophone communities in the regions remain quite homogeneous.

To learn more about the first stage of the project, please click here: http://library.nald.ca/item/10526.

Funders:

• OLES

Added: 2012-07-27

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Authors: The Labour Market Group

Collection: Learning Materials

This video focuses on the benefits to businesses of encouraging employees to improve their literacy and essential skills.

The producers of the video point out that improved skills lead to better employee performance; improved safety records; greater customer satisfaction; and higher employee retention rates. All of these factors help businesses strengthen their competitive edge.

The video, about four minutes in length, was produced by The Labour Market Group, an Ontario not-for-profit organization that promotes the development of a skilled and competitive workforce.

Added: 2011-08-05

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A Powerpoint Presentation

Series: IALSS 2003 Findings

Authors: Satya Brink, Ph.D.

Collection: Research Materials

The International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey (IALSS) offers a summary of how well adults use literacy skills in daily activities at home, at work, and in the community.

In 2003, for the first time, the IALSS measured literacy proficiency among all provinces and territories in Canada. This PowerPoint presentation offers an analysis of the survey’s implications, specifically for Saskatchewan.

Among the points discussed in the presentation are the level of literacy proficiency in Saskatchewan in comparison with the rest of Canada; the effect of age and education on literacy and numeracy performance; the proficiency of urban Aboriginal people in Saskatchewan; and the demographic characteristics of people with low literacy proficiency, including their geographic location in Saskatchewan.

The presentation includes numerous charts, graphs and maps, accompanied by notes to explain and analyze the material further.

Funders:

Added: 2006-07-31

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See also:

• Littératie en Saskatchewan - Implications des résultats de l'EIACA 2003

Authors: Metro Toronto Movement for Literacy

Collection: Research Materials

This document, prepared by the Metro Toronto Movement for Literacy (MTML), summarizes the 2009-10 literacy services plan for Toronto and the York region of Ontario.

The authors begin by providing an overview of the Literacy and Basic Skills program in Ontario, then go on to provide a localized context for learner demographics and learner profiles.

From there, the authors position literacy services within the wider socioeconomic context of Toronto and York Region respectively. They analyse data on local issues like employment, housing, incomes and immigration in relation to community planning activities.

The authors conclude with an update on a 2006 initiative by Ontario’s Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities to encourage shared delivery of academic upgrading programs among colleges, school boards and community organizations.

Added: 2009-07-07

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Education Matters: Insights on Education, Learning and Training in Canada, April 2008, Vol. 4, No. 5

Series: Education Matters - Statistics Canada

Authors: Evelyne Bougie

Collection: Research Materials

Based on findings from the 2003 International Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (IALLS), this article examines the literacy proficiency of First Nations and Métis adults living in urban parts of Manitoba and Saskatchewan.

The IALLS results show that those adults performed at lower literacy proficiency levels than their non-Aboriginal counterparts. At the same time, analysis of the results confirms that, as is the case among the non-Aboriginal population, higher levels of formal education were consistently associated with higher levels of literacy proficiency.

As well, data show that the percentage of employed Aboriginal individuals was consistently higher among those who had literacy proficiency at or above Level 3 than among those who scored below this benchmark. In contrast, this difference was almost nil among the non-Aboriginal populations.

The author emphasizes that the IALSS does not take into account the different kinds of literacy practices that are valued in Aboriginal cultures, nor does it assess literacy in an Aboriginal language. However, in an urban context, the ability to use and understand the kind of information assessed through the survey is likely to be linked to many positive outcomes in life.

Added: 2012-04-24

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See also:

• Profil de littératie des membres des Premières nations vivant hors réserve et des Métis qui résident dans les régions urbaines du Manitoba et de la Saskatchewan

Series: International Adult Literacy Survey

Authors: Daniel Boothy

Collection: Research Materials

This study uses data from the Canadian panel of the International Adult Literacy Survey to examine the relations between schooling, literacy and occupational assignment and to determine the extent to which returns to over- and under-education are in fact returns to literacy skills. Two measures of required training time for the job are used, both of which are based on detailed occupation. One is the General Educational Development (GED) level of the occupation; the other is the sum of the GED and Specific Vocational Preparation (SVP) times. Regression analysis of the required training time of individuals' jobs shows that literacy skills are an important determinant of occupational assignment by skill level, once schooling is taken into account. Skills acquired through on-the-job training may also play an important role in occupational assignment.

The author concludes that literacy skills play a significant role in occupational assignment, independent of the role of schooling, that the return to under-education for both women and men is in large part a return to above average literacy skills for their level of schooling, and that for men, the return to over-education is in large part a return to literacy skills which are above average for their jobs. This would seem to indicate that employers are capable of determining their employees' literacy skills by more accurate means than simply depending on the level of schooling as an indicator of literacy skills.

To obtain a copy of this report or for more information :
T. Scott Murray
Statistics Canada
Ottawa ON K1A 0T6
Tel. (613) 951-9035 or 1-800-263-1136
TDS 1-800-363-7629
Email : infostats@statcan.ca

Added: 2003-11-26

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See also:

• Littératie, affectation professionnelle et rendement de la surinstruction et de la sous-instruction

Working Paper

Authors: Sue Folinsbee, College Sector Committee for Adult Upgrading (CSC)

Collection: Research Materials

This literature review is part of a project undertaken by Ontario’s College Sector Committee (CSC) for Adult Upgrading. The goal of the project is to ensure that pre-apprenticeship students receive an Academic Upgrading (AU) component tailored to their trade and connected seamlessly with the trade component of their program.

The literature review focuses mainly on integration as it applies to program delivery and curriculum development. It includes integration models; the need for integrating literacy and essential skills into pre-apprenticeship and trades training; the case for integration; strategies/tips/effective practices for integration in the classroom; and the benefits and outcomes of an integrated approach.

The authors note that the literature review was limited by the small number of research reports and documents found concerning integration across the industrialized world.

Funders:

• Ontario Ministry of Education and Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities

Added: 2011-10-11

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