What then do literacy workers and students actually know about current labour market situations, how do they get their information, what employment development resources and/or curriculum are instructors using, and what role do they feel literacy plays in preparing people for work?

Knowledge of Labour Market and Information available:
Of the 10 students I interviewed, only one felt that the employment outlook was positive:

"I've always believed that if you really want to work then you can find a job. But its a matter of where you set your goals."

Another student felt that even though he would have no problems finding work himself, others in his class would face barriers:

"As far as the job market that I'm going for is concerned, its pretty good because its a growing industry. For others in our group-I'm talking about different women and stuff - its harder for them because of the demand. The jobs that they are looking for just aren't out there. The only reason (the employers) want the work experience is they get free labour. Everybody wants something for nothing and everybody wants to give you such a low wage that its not even worth going out to look for work. Benefits for most of those companies are poor. Job security is hard to find."

Most of the students and instructors voiced concern about the lack of employment opportunities and about the proliferation of minimum wage jobs:

Student A: "I could have sworn when I was 18 that there was about 4 pages of the general (classified ads) and now its like 2 lines. And a lot of them they ask for experience and then you look at the wages and they're only willing to give you minimum wage."
Student B: "Minimum wage is still better than we've got now (on social assistance)"
Student A: "I think maybe for a single person it would be fine, but for a family its not."

Instructor: "We have university graduates in our town who cannot get work. My students aren't going to get a job ahead of them. It's just not going to happen."

Instructor: "I have skilled people coming to my literacy class taking computers because they don't have a job. The possibility of them getting a job is so slim because there's so much competition out there."

Instructor: "Well, one of my students said a couple of months ago...that he got fed up of going down to the employment office and seeing on the board jobs that he had done a year ago and now the requirement is you have to have your grade 12. But he has already done them for years but nowthere is no point in him applying because now they require grade 12."