Sober economic projections continue to appear in policy statements and reports relating to skills
training. According to recent predictions, Canada will not have enough workers within a few
years and the available workforce “will lack the skills and knowledge that the global economy
demands” (CCL 2007). The most recent forecast in the United States suggests if the trend
continues, millions of jobs will suffer because of a serious lack of specialized skills among the
workforce, leading to estimated shortages of over 10 million skilled workers by 2012 (Parker
2007: 1). In the UK, calls for a “renewed focus on the skills of adults”
are linked to the
improvement of lagging productivity and an economy that needs to be “driven forward”
(Merrifield 2007: 9). Current international financial crises and uncertainties only darken the
already troubling picture, as has recently been underlined by a lengthy report from the European
Centre for the Development of Vocational Training/Cedefop. It suggests Europe needs to
“anticipate more effectively its future skill needs over the long, and not just the short term”
(Cedefop 2009: 1).
Skills development, including literacy and essential skills, is seen by many experts and policy
makers as the “key” to addressing the serious economic challenges that lie not too far ahead, a
central “priority”, a “must” (CCL 2007; CCL 2007a: 5; Merrifield 2007: 9; Folinsbee 2007: 9;
Dunberry and Péchard 2007: 43), particularly among older and less skilled workers and in small
and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) (Daniau and Bélanger 2008: 5-6). Thus, recent Canadian
Government funding proposals for literacy have been connected to a “focus on creating the most
flexible, well-educated workforce in the world in order to improve Canada’s economic
prosperity and establish a global competitive advantage” (Folinsbee 2007: 9). In a similar vein,
predictions relating to the UK assert that, “In the new global economy economic security will
depend on having a ‘basic platform of skills’ that allows individuals to update and adapt to
change”
(Merrifield 2007: 9).
The literature continues to underline the central role national governments can play in promoting and supporting workplace literacy and essential skills. At its core, commentators suggest this role should rest on a national strategy to strengthen the skills of the adult workforce. The strategy needs to be tied to a long-term vision of the kind of society and economy the country is working towards, a strong statement on how skills development, especially literacy, is critically connected to this vision, and clear goals on skills training for adults that centre on a broad-based, comprehensive approach (Gray 2006: 11-12, 84; Cedefop 2009: 21; Rosen 2008: 12; Plett 2007: 69; CCL 2007; CCL 2007a: 26).
National strategies along these lines currently exist in only a few countries, for example the
UK’s Skills for Life Strategy (Wolf 2005: 2, Plett 2007: 7, Merrifield 2007: 12) and New
Zealand’s Upskilling the Workforce Initiative/Tertiary Education Strategy and the Statement of
Tertiary Education Priorities (STEP) (Plett 2007: 7; Gray and Sutton 2007: ii, 2; Benseman and
Sutton 2007: 11, 22). Similarly, in Australia, pivotal agreements have been reached between
state, territorial, and federal levels of government on strategies and objectives in adult education
and workplace training that allow for a coordinated approach (Plett 2007: 7). However, the
recent reallocation of national funds for adult literacy to the states and territories has raised
concerns about the degree to which the national government is committed to supporting and
promoting literacy and essentials skills training among workers. The Australian Council for
Adult Literacy sees this development as “the culmination of a gradual erosion of targeted
funding for research and development for adult literacy and numeracy” that reflects a “loss of
policy focus” and “national leadership”
(ACAL 2009: 1-2, 14). In response, the government
maintains that the focus on adult literacy has actually become “greater” in recent years,
especially with the introduction of the Social Inclusion Policy Agenda (Coughran 2009: 13).