National Adult Literacy Database

An innovative new learning and development pilot project has been announced to help Inuit build their skills and experience for potential future positions in the public service. The first group of participants is anticipated to begin their work placements in late May 2013.

Only a decade ago, to suggest mental health was a critical issue for Canadian businesses would have seemed ludicrous. That sentiment seems to be rapidly waning.

Rose Hip Press, "the small press with a big interest in literacy," wonders if your organization or others you know could benefit from its Activity Calendar. The calendar is now even more affordable.

Salary gains will continue to be strong in Alberta and Saskatchewan at about four per cent this year compared with three per cent nationally, according to The Conference Board of Canada’s Mid-Year Pulse Check of its annual compensation planning outlook survey.

The Adult Basic Education Association of British Columbia will host its Conference 2013 May 2-3, 2013, at Harrison Hot Springs. Practitioners, researchers and others involved in the field of Adult Basic Education are invited to submit proposals for 90-minute presentations reflecting the 2013 Conference theme 'The Education Jigsaw - Fitting Adults into the Puzzle.' The deadline is February 28.

The premier of New Brunswick has highlighted his government's $2.5 million investment in Elementary Literacy Inc., a non-profit foundation, to support its Elementary Literacy Friends/Communauté-littératie-enfants-francophones volunteer tutoring programs. This private-sector-led initiative was created to raise literacy levels among children in elementary schools across the province.

Following two months of gains, employment in Canada decreased slightly in January (-22,000). A decline in the number of people looking for work pushed the unemployment rate down 0.1 percentage points to 7.0%.

Plans are underway for Nova Scotia Adult Learners' Week 2013 April 6-14. Learners and organizations from across the province are coming together at special events including panel discussions, interactive workshops and arts events. They will offer learning opportunities for all and showcase the diversity in the ways adults learn.

J.D. Irving Ltd. is looking for 6,500 new employees over the next couple of years, including more than 2,700 in New Brunswick. The positions will be in various sectors of the company's operations such as shipbuilding, railroad, forest products, the port and retail.

The National Adult Literacy Database (NALD) takes this opportunity to extend its congratulations and best wishes to individuals in the field of literacy and essential skills who were recently chosen to receive Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Education Minister Russ Marchuk joined representatives from the North Central Family Centre to announce funding through the SaskSmart Innovations Fund (SSIF). In total, $482,469 has been allocated to seven different community partnerships to provide literacy services.

Today the Read All About Lit blog at Decoda is launching a new feature: Tech Tuesday. Every Tuesday, they will feature a library or online resource that discusses technology in the context of literacy.

Like most OECD countries, a mere fraction of Canadian university students study abroad, seemingly content to have the world come to us. The situation is a bit of puzzle. For all the discussion of why we have difficulty attracting foreign students, we rarely wonder why “our” students seem so reluctant to leave home. -- Commentary, The Globe and Mail

The latest research on the attitudes of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) shows that rather than a lack of enthusiasm for learning and work, almost half of those interviewed have aspirations to progress in life through learning.

Great messaging and a spirit of Canada-wide community are coming out of preparations for the I DO BUSINESS National Summit & Tradeshow ̶ Success for Aboriginal Entrepreneurs. The event, set for March 4-6, 2013, in Toronto, is being hosted by the Ontario Native Literacy Coalition.