Experts believe, often based on consultations with employers and business organizations, that
greater government vision and clarity, planning, support (financial and other), advocacy
(including use of the media and recruiting prominent business-world champions to highlight
gains and “success stories”) and quality control can go a long way towards bringing down these
barriers (Gray 2006: 16-17; Plett, 2007: 71; Parker 2007: 4-6; Goldenberg 2006: iii; CCL 2007;
Benseman and Sutton 2007: 8; Gray and Sutton 2007: iii-iv). In this connection, the case of the
UK, where, since the launch of the Skills for Life Strategy, “employers are increasingly willing
to make provision for basic skills development for their employees”
, is worth watching closely
(Merrifield 2007: 18, 20-1).
While government can do much to convince and support employers, employer partnerships with
unions are also fundamentally important to workplace literacy and essential skills training in
large enterprises. A recent report surveying a range of effective workplace literacy programs in
the US identified “strong connections to organized labour”
as an important element promoting
success (Parker 2007: 4-6). Unions, many of which have substantial experience with workplace
literacy projects, can act as advocates or champions to promote training programs within
enterprises (among employers, management and workers) and, increasingly, sectors. Over the
years, they have been involved in initiating programs as well as providing workplace literacy
training. Unions can also support both employers and workers with funds (helping to match
government support) and negotiate collective agreements that make provisions for training
(Gray 2006: 7, 81; Bélanger and Robitaille 2008: 68; Plett 2007: 70; Folinsbee 2007: 21-2).
In Canada, the Canadian Union of Public Employees (the country’s largest union) has played an
important role in promoting and supporting workplace education for the less-skilled in the
public sector. Similarly, in the US, the New York State (NYS) and Civil Service Employees
Association (CSEA) Partnership for Education and Training, a collaboration between labour and
management, provides programs and services to 77,000 CSEA-member NYS employees in over
1,000 agency facilities and worksites within the state’s Executive Branch (Salomon 2009: 2-3).
In the UK, union involvement in literacy and essential skills training is not only prominent, but
also institutionalized through the Skills for Life Strategy. Union Learning Representatives
(ULRs) and Unionlearn (set up in 2006) work to “promote lifelong learning, increase workers’
life chances and strengthen their voice at the workplace through high quality union learning”
(Merrifield 2007: 21).
There has been a strong consensus in recent years that individuals who participate in literacy and essential skills training benefit in terms of both improved skills and positively changed attitudes. Since the publication of Gray’s report in 2006, this finding continues to surface in much of the literature. The gains most often mentioned include: better communication skills (language comprehension and expression, information-sharing, speaking up), understanding of machines, technology and work practices (filling out forms, compliance, handling charts, following health and safety precautions); increased morale, confidence, self-satisfaction, work satisfaction; increased participation (taking on more responsibilities, involvement in committees or union work, teamwork); greater job/career advancement potential; greater interest in and willingness to participate in further training (Gray 2006: 5, 28-9, 55; Campbell 2008: 16-17; Rosen 2008: 6-7; Gray and Sutton 2007: iii; Plett 2007: 65-6; WfDB 2007: p. 11; Parker 2007: 3-4).