Essential Skills in Action
Prince Edward Learning Centre in
Picton offers Essential Skills training
for eight entry-level jobs to prepare
learners for the workforce, using
Literacy Network Northeast’s
Connecting to Workplaces
curriculum . They also offer a
weekly Social Learning class that
develops ES through common, everyday
tasks such as cooking, computers, and
team work projects. “We think in terms
of Essential Skills when planning our
programs,” says Executive Director,
Linda Conley. “It’s affirming when
learners realize all the other skills they
use when they’re reading and writing.”
Calling all Essential Skills Sleuths!
Karen McGregor, trainer, profiler, and
assessor with Kingston Literacy, joins her
partner in crime, Lisa Brash, in presenting
the E.S.I. Workshop. In a playful spin on the
popular CBS series, C.S.I., Karen and Lisa
drop adult literacy practitioners into the
middle of a murder scene and direct them to
find evidence of Essential Skills use in the
victim’s office. Clues include a laptop
displaying an Excel spreadsheet, a suspicious
“love” letter, and a magazine article for
expectant moms. The workshop has been
presented eight times across the province and
has been a hit. Talk about putting the mystery
in, to take the mystery out of Essential Skills
training!
Essential Skills Resources
Making Essential Skills WORK for You.
Laubach Literacy Ontario’s Essential Skills workbook is an excellent resource to use for skills assessment, development, and practice. Hard copies are available or download the pdf at www.laubach-on.ca/Trainingpost/makesswork.html. Activities focus on Oral Communication and Thinking Skills, ES levels 1 and 2; however, other Essential Skills used are identified where applicable. Learners with independence goals will find Chapters 3 and 4 particularly useful as Time Management and Problem Solving are important Essential Skills used in every day life. Practitioners can easily adapt the instructions and worksheets.
Ontario Skills Passport http://skills.edu.gov.on.ca/OSPWeb/jsp/login.jsp
Tried and true. The Ontario Skills Passport (OSP) Resource page is part of the Ministry of
Education’s Ontario Skills Passport site. Access the resource page through the OSP Toolbox link and follow the OSP Resources link (it takes a few clicks). This resource page provides extra support for training in Essential Skills and work habits. It offers tips and tools for introducing learners to how Essential Skills are used in their daily lives. Materials include a variety of activities and worksheets with plenty of ideas for using them. You can to visit the OPS Resource page directly at www.osca.ca/osp/osp.htm.
