The Workplace/Workforce Literacy Symposium Report

The Workplace/Workforce Literacy Symposium

Background

In 2004, the Ontario Literacy Coalition engaged in a consultation with the Ontario Federation of Labour and Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, Ontario Division. In their final report, entitled “Building Support and Developing Partnerships for Workplace Literacy in Ontario,” the partners recommended that they continue their dialogue and expand their aims to include:

• building support for workplace literacy development,
• exploring incentives and support for employers and unions,
• finding ways to make sustainable investments in workplace literacy,
• encouraging the development of educational tools and other resources for promoting and enhancing workplace literacy programming,
• co-operating with the public education system on areas of mutual interest.

As a next step, the Ontario Literacy Coalition, with funding from the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities and the National Literacy Secretariat, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada sponsored the Workplace/Workforce Literacy Symposium: Building Linkages for Action.

Objectives

The objectives of the symposium were to:

• stimulate a dialogue on the current situation in Ontario related to workplace and workforce literacy,
• better understand the positions, issues and concerns of the various stakeholders,
• form a plan of action, either collectively or within stakeholder groups, to advance the agenda regarding workplace and workforce literacy in Ontario.

Advisory Committee

The membership of the symposium’s advisory committee reflected the commitment made by business, labour, education and training, and the literacy community to work together. The committee included:

Patricia Ashie, Adult Learners Network of Ontario
Cheryl Conway, MidNorth Network for Adult Learners
Gay Douglas-Broerse, Literacy Link Niagara
Janice Gairey, Ontario Federation of Labour
Ian Howcroft, Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters, Ontario Division
Nancy Jackson, Ontario Institute for Studies in Education, University of Toronto
Lynn Johnston, Canadian Society for Training and Development
Stuart Johnston, Ontario Chamber of Commerce
Laurell Ritchie, Canadian Auto Workers