Simply stated, literacy is important. Society rewards individuals who are proficient and penalizes those who are not, whether expressed in terms of employment opportunities and job success or active social, cultural and citizenship participation in society. Literacy is also important to nations, as these skills are building blocks. They enable the creation of a labour force capable of competing in a changing world - a key step to economic growth and improvement of the human condition. They are the cornerstones of democracy and the exchange of knowledge and information. (Reading the Future: A Portrait of Literacy in Canada. "Highlights from the Canadian Report" Statistics Canada: 1996)

Literacy is critical to the well-being of individuals, families, communities and indeed entire nations. Literacy programs provide adult learners with important opportunities for both personal and academic growth, which in turn assist them to participate more fully in all aspects of society. Research has shown that increased education leads to better health, improved self esteem and better educational success for one's children, as well as increased employability and higher incomes.

While literacy education clearly enhances employability, it should not be characterized as a cure-all. A number of complex factors affect one's ability to find and keep a job, including personal and systemic barriers, and the job market itself. The Literacy, Welfare and Work Study attempts to uncover some of the major barriers that adult learners face, as well as the supports they require in moving from welfare to work.

Methodology

The LWW study was divided into three yearly phases. In Phase One (Literacy, Welfare and Work: A Preliminary Study: 1997), focus group interviews were held with a select number of Manitoba literacy practitioners, students, and other informants. These interviews identified some of the key issues and questions regarding the relationship between literacy and employment within the context of welfare reform. Pertinent data on adult education, the labour market, and welfare legislation was also reviewed. The findings became the framework for a more in-depth analysis of the connections between literacy, welfare and work.

In Year II (Literacy, Welfare & Work: A Case Study of Seven Adult Learners: 1998), a small group of adult learners from Brandon, Manitoba was asked to participate in a two-year ethnographic case study which documented their life stories (including their education and employment histories) using interviews and participant observation techniques.²  By placing their past and current experiences within the overall context of their lives, this holistic approach uncovered a number of subtle and often complex connections between literacy and poverty, abuse and poor health, and identified how these issues may have affected the students' abilities to become gainfully employed.