National Adult Literacy Database

This manual is part of Bridging the Employment Gap for Learners with Low Level Literacy Skills, a two-phase project begun in 2001. Phase 1 of the project focused on students with the lowest level literacy and basic skills, especially the developmentally challenged population. In Phase 2, the focus was expanded to include all Essential Skills Level 1 learners. This project involved the development of job-specific sector manuals that include step-by-step learning activities for selected tasks in specified sectors.

There are, however, many non-sector-specific job-related skills needed by all employees. Ready for Work is the resource that has been developed to address these needs. Ready for Work should be used as a complement to the other five sector manuals: Clerical, Grounds Maintenance, Janitorial, Kitchen Help, and Retail.

The Ready for Work resource binder has three main sections: Essential Skills, Student Units, and Evaluation. The Essential Skills section includes a description of the nine essential skills and examples from the National Occupation Classification Profiles. The Student Units section is divided into "Before Applying for the Job" and "On the Job." The Evaluation section includes checklists for the student, employer and support worker.