by Patrick Cummins * |
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The Essential Skills Portfolio (http://portfolio.telecampus.com) makes HRDC’s Essential Skills Profiles the centre of a learning/assessment package available free on the Web. Groups or individuals use the Essential Skills Portfolio Website to assess and document their Essential Skills and to discover what additional skills they need in order to achieve their occupational goals. The package provides printable learning materials in key areas. It guides users through building portfolios for the occupations they choose, then generates a résumé which they can forward to prospective employers. This all-in-one package combines assessment, learning materials, and presentation. It gives learners control over their learning. It gives teachers and learners a comprehensive view of basic education objectives in relation to specific occupations. And it gives employers a clear picture of applicants’ abilities. ONE LEARNER Tracey Bennet finished Grade 10. Sort of. She has worked in a diner and a pet shop. She likes animals, and she likes talking to people who own animals. (See picture, below.) She can usually read what she needs to read, but not always. She’s never been much of a writer. She’s a whiz with numbers, but she doesn’t know how she gets the answers she does. She’s more interested in a job than a high school diploma. 
Tracey is working on some of her school skills in a basic education class. All of the students are adults. Some of them have two or three different languages, but English isn’t their strong suit. Some are upgrading so they can go back to school. Some, like Tracy, are trying to get their skills up so they can do a job they like. The Essential Skills Portfolio takes Tracey through clear steps: - It helps her do a self-assessment of her Essential Skills. (Reading Text, Writing; Numeracy, Oral Communication, Working with Others, Computer Use, Problem Solving, Decision Making, Job Task Planning and Organizing, Use of Memory, and Finding Information.) To register, all you need is an e-mail address. Every registered user gets a personal Web page. Take a tour of the site yourself: http://portfolio.telecampus.com NOTE: You must register in order to experience how the site works. Use a fictitious name, if you like. * For more information or comments, contact Patrick Cummins, 31 St. Claire Avenue, Nepean, ON K2G 2A1, Tel. (613) 225-3808, Fax (613) 225-2021, Email: pcummins@ccs.carleton.ca The Essential Skills Portfolio was developed with a grant from HRDC’s Office of Learning Technologies. It uses information from HRDC’s Essential Skills Database. The learning materials were developed as part of the Evaluating Academic Readiness for Apprenticeship Training (EARAT) project, supported by Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges, and Universities. Project Management by: TVLT New Media Language Training. |
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Networks, the newsletter of the National Adult Literacy Database Inc., provides the Canadian literacy community with current information on educational activities in adult literacy and basic adult education. NALD keeps literacy practitioners, learners, administrators, policy makers and researchers informed on trends, recent publications, available resources, upcoming events and ongoing activities both nationally and in the regions. For more information or to give your comments, please contact: The Editor - Networks Toll-Free: 1-800-720-NALD (6253) |
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NALD Networks Production Team:
NALD would like to thank Patrick Cummins - ON, Lon Dubinsky - QC, Lee Weinstein BC, Rose Grotsky - ON, Literacy Partners of Manitoba - MB, CDÉACF - QC, le Cape Breton Literacy Network - NS, Reading Routes - ON, and Éducacentre - BC, for the opportunity to use photographs of them within this newsletter. |