Issue #39 |
October 2004 |
Literacy in OntarioHave you ever wondered about literacy training in Ontario, and where Literacy Plus fits into the picture? The Ministry’s recently released annual report on the Literacy and Basic Skills Program contains some interesting facts. In 2003-2004, 207 Ontario literacy programs served 45,462 adult learners, providing 5,600,406 training contact hours. The majority of these programs were in the Anglophone stream, but there were also Francophone (31), Native (26) and Deaf (5) programs. Ontario Works participants made up 13,706 or 30% of all Ontario learners. Of the 207 literacy programs, 141 were community-based programs like Literacy Plus. The others were school board (42) and college (24) programs. Communitybased programs delivered 1,406,322 training hours to 16,000 students. School board programs delivered 1,863,343 hours to 16,105 students, while colleges delivered 2,330,741 hours to 13,357. Over the year, 23,404 students finished or left their programs. Sixty per cent of these went on to jobs, further education and training, or volunteer work. Fifteen percent were recorded as "lost contacts." The rest are using their new skills for more independence in their personal lives. New Website for Literacy PlusThe RCCUP/Literacy Plus website has been updated over the summer through the generosity of NALD, the National Adult Literacy Database. NALD staff contributed their skills to creating a site that looks professional, is easier to navigate, has pictures, and offers new features—we can post upcoming events and student writing, and our newsletter will be available on-line. The site will also have the capacity to offer interactive programming to students working on computers at home. Diane will be adapting some of the workshop materials to an on-line format. Watch for more news as this is developed. The official launch is planned for October 27, but you can see much of it now. Go to www.literacyplus-renfrewcounty.ca for a preview. Calendar
Sept. 7 - Swing for Literacy |
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