Browse by subject "Workplace Literacy"
51. Blended Learning for Soft Skills Development (2010)
Testing a Four-Level Framework for Integrating Work and Learning to Maximize Personal Practice and Job Performance
Authors: Jean Adams, Rita Hanesiak, Gareth Morgan, Ronald Owston, Denys Lupshenyuk, Laura Mills
“Blended learning” refers to combining different kinds of instructional approaches, like face-to-face learning and coaching, with a variety of technologies, including discussion boards, e-content, and conference calls.
This research study compares the learning outcomes of four different blended learning strategies for developing the “soft skills” that enhance job performance and personal interactions. The four strategies range from a very loose coupling of personal learning with job performance to a very tight coupling.
The results showed that some individuals excelled in each of the research groups, and there were no common individual characteristics for those who did well in each group, or across the research study. Learning styles differed, learning preferences differed, and major motivators and major barriers for learning also differed.
The authors conclude that while there is no predictable best approach to workplace learning for developing soft skills, blended strategies can make it easier to customize learning to meet specific learner characteristics, experiences, and needs.
Funders:
- Canadian Council on Learning (CCL)
Added: 2012-03-27
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52. The Bottom Line (1997)
WWestnet Newsletter Number 5, April
Authors: Ann Haney
This newsletter, dated April 1997, was funded by Alberta Advanced Education and Career Development. The issue has news articles about learning centres at UNITE Local 459 in Winnipeg, Molson Breweries, and AltaSteel, the implementation of the ERIC (Effective Reading in Context) program at Alberta Power, and increased funding for adult literacy initiatives in the 1997 Federal Budget. The newsletter includes reviews of resources authored by Taylor and Hautecoeur about workplace education.
Added: 1997-01-01
53. The Bottom Line on Basics (1995)
Conference Report
Authors: Western Canada Workplace Education Conference
This is a report of the first Western Canada Workplace Education Conference held in Western Canada in 1995, called The Bottom Line on Basics”. It provided an opportunity to hear about many workplace education programs and projects in Western Canada, exchange ideas, and look toward the future.
Funders:
Added: 2005-09-23
54. The bottom line, No. 1 (1996)
April 1996
Series: WWestNet's The bottom line
Authors: Western Canada Workplace Essential Skills Training Network (WWestNet)
This first issue begins with an introduction to the newsletter, explaining its purpose.
Other articles deal with an organizational needs assessment (ONA) at the Dynasty Wood Products furniture plant; a training project for community literacy coordinators in Alberta; and the partnership between the Government of Manitoba and the Workplace Education Manitoba Steering Committee.
This issue also includes an article about the Basic Skills Research Project, which involved gathering job information from 2,500 workers in hundreds of occupations in order to provide a basic-skills-requirements profile for each entry-level occupation.
Added: 2010-02-24
55. The bottom line, No. 10 (1998)
September 1998
Series: WWestNet's The bottom line
Authors: Western Canada Workplace Essential Skills Training Network (WWestNet)
An article in this issue focuses on the political issues underlying the development and delivery of essential-skills programs in the workplace. During a two-day workshop, practitioners and expert speakers discussed the need to understand the values and positions of stakeholders in workplace education.
Another article outlines ABC CANADA’s change in focus away from the provision of consulting services directly to business and labour, towards supporting the work of a range of local educational providers.
Other articles deal with the formation of an essential skills steering committee in Alberta; a workshop held in Edmonton for workplace education practitioners; and reviews of recent publications in the fields of adult literacy, workplace training and ESL – English as a Second Language.
Added: 2010-03-17
56. The bottom line, No. 11 (1999)
January 1999
Series: WWestNet's The bottom line
Authors: Western Canada Workplace Essential Skills Training Network (WWestNet)
This issue includes an account of a Winnipeg conference on training for the high-performance workplace and an update on trials for the first sets of questions for the Test of Workplace Essential Skills (TOWES).
Another article focuses on Speech Assisted Reading and Writing (SARAW), a talking computer program for students with physical disabilities. There is also an article focusing on the key role of essential skills in obtaining jobs in Calgary’s manufacturing plants.
The issue also includes reviews of publications on literacy policy and practice in Canada; basic education and institutional environments; and literacy skills for the knowledge society.
Added: 2010-03-17
57. The bottom line, No. 12 (1999)
April 1999
Series: WWestNet's The bottom line
Authors: Western Canada Workplace Essential Skills Training Network (WWestNet)
This issue contains an article dealing with an impact study carried out in Alberta to identify and address essential-skills needs in food-processing plants. The study was undertaken by the Alberta Food Processors Association (AFPA), in partnership with the Alberta Workforce Essential Skills Steering Committee (AWES)
Another article focuses on a Canada-wide research project entitled Workplace Education Development (WED): Customizing Accreditation Curricula, which studies the strategies being used by workplace educators to customize the delivery of established accreditation curricula such as the GED (General Education Diploma) to maximize learning.
A project to develop and pilot a training curriculum for construction craft labourers in Alberta is the focus of another article.
This issue also contains an item about the establishment of a workplace literacy project, Learning@Work, a joint undertaking of the Saskatchewan Labour Force Development Board (SLFDB) and the National Literacy Secretariat. There is also a review of a publication on the language of documents.
Added: 2010-04-07
58. The bottom line, No. 13 (1999)
July 1999
Series: WWestNet's The bottom line
Authors: Western Canada Workplace Essential Skills Training Network (WWestNet)
This issue’s lead article focuses on the award received by Winnipeg-based Bristol Aerospace for its efforts in workplace literacy. Bristol implemented its Adult Basic Education (ABE) program in 1995. To reduce the amount of time required to complete some of the training program, Bristol adopted Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR), which allows employees to challenge for credit for skills they already possess, then take only the courses required to complete a certification process. The award was presented by the National Literacy Secretariat, Human Resources Development Canada.
Another article describes plans by the Alberta Food Processors Association (AFPA) for a labour market study, using Statistics Canada data to profile workforce demographics and conducting interviews with industry representatives to define future trends in the industry. The project also includes an inventory of training programs in the sector and an essential-skills needs assessment.
The issue contains an item about personnel changes at SkillPlan, the British Columbia Construction Industry Skills Improvement Council. There are also reviews of publications dealing with the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACCP) system in the food-processing industry; and with a good-practice framework for analysing workplace education programs.
Added: 2010-04-07
59. The bottom line, No. 14 (2002)
January 2002
Series: WWestNet's The bottom line
Authors: Western Canada Workplace Essential Skills Training Network (WWestNet)
This issue focuses exclusively on BHP Billiton Diamonds Incorporated’s Ekati Diamond Mine, located in the Barren Lands of the Northwest Territories. It outlines the company’s commitment to building a sustainable Aboriginal and Northern workforce, while dealing simultaneously with the low literacy skills of a significant portion of the pool of available employees.
The company began by developing essential-skills profiles for its entry-level positions, then used this information, along with the Test of Workplace Essential Skills (TOWES), to develop a customized “pre-assessment TOWES” for identifying learning gaps.
The company’s training department took on many initiatives, including computer-based learning; a leadership development program; and the establishment of an apprenticeship program.
The department points to the establishment of its Workplace Learning Program (WLP) as its greatest achievement. The guiding principle of the WLP is safety. A third of the company’s Aboriginal workforce struggles with reading simple documents; teaching these employees to read is vital to keeping them safe. The program promotes flexibility and inclusion to meet the needs of both learners and the workplace.
Added: 2010-04-07
60. The bottom line, No. 15 (2002)
June 2002
Series: WWestNet's The bottom line
Authors: Western Canada Workplace Essential Skills Training Network (WWestNet)
The lead article in this issue describes a Calgary company’s initiatives to help employees whose first language is Vietnamese improve their command of English with the goal of making the workplace safer.
Another article describes Applications of Working and Learning (AWAL), a one-day professional development activity to help teachers show students how the curriculum they are learning in the classroom is used in the workplace.
The issue also includes an account of a symposium, held in Calgary in 2002, on incorporating Essential Skills into workplace training agendas.
Added: 2011-07-05
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