The Workplace/Workforce Literacy Symposium Report

Government involvement is critical to moving forward. The point of a partnership is not just to talk but to push the provincial government to act.
Labour needs to work with literacy groups to help them understand workplace issues from a labour perspective. As well, some unions have not responded well to advances from literacy networks. We need to connect labour with local communities, for example by attending to the annual general meetings of local literacy groups. We can also look at blending program models, for example, co- facilitation with peers and literacy workers. The public system needs to be pushed to respond to workers’ needs.
Regional challenges to finding ways to respond to workers’ needs were discussed. Some unions have developed tools that raise awareness of the issue. Labour councils can play a role at the regional level.
Government funding is critical; we need to move towards a re-invigorated system. A stakeholder partnership is vital.

Collaboration on the issue of workplace literacy is needed. Parties must be clear about their role. There is much common ground, for example, development of the whole person, transportable skills, etc. A working group is needed to continue the dialogue and to move forward with the same message, which will be more powerful if it comes from multiple groups. Literacy networks are in a good position to help. The four literacy streams need to be brought together.
There is also a need for funding and professional development since workplace delivery is very different from other types of programs. We need to figure out what financial incentives will work. Not all literacy groups feel comfortable working in this area. At the moment, workplace literacy training does not count for “contact hours,” so there is no incentive to do it. Some literacy groups feel that they are not equal partners with business and labour unless they are involved from the beginning. Different approaches need to be looked at such as peer tutoring and the apprenticeship/journeyperson model.
Challenges include the lack of a template or model for proceeding and lack of funding and infrastructure. The regional nature of the province will be challenging as will be dealing with small and medium size business. But we can capitalize on this by replicating the symposium within the regions.