National Adult Literacy Database

Continuous learning has a ripple effect, not only for learners but for teachers and the communities in which they reside. Each year at this time, the National Adult Literacy Database (NALD) joins literacy and essential skills organizations from across Canada to celebrate Adult Learners’ Week.

With a growing economy and an impressive list of resource mega-projects on its horizon, the Northwest Territories is on the verge of an historic boom. Add the upcoming economic jolt of Devolution, previewed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper's recent trip to Yellowknife, and the future really does look like it belongs to Canada's North.

Recent findings by Hotels.com, which looked at the amount of paid and public holiday time around the world, reveal that Canada is near the bottom of global rankings with a mere 15 days, beaten only by Mexico at 13. On the opposite end of the spectrum was Russia, which came out on top with a staggering average of 40 days of paid leave.

Mentoring is an effective program to help newcomers find jobs that match their skills and talent. It is built on a simple foundation: connecting an internationally trained professional with their Canadian counterpart. But what is the impact?

These awards were initiated by the Literacy Coalition of New Brunswick in honour of Sheree Fitch, the organization's honorary patron. They are given to adult learners who are currently enrolled in a community-based literacy program in New Brunswick. The learner must be showing potential and a commitment to staying in the program.

Want to optimize your chances of getting a good job? Get into health care, science or management – and then move West, where unemployment rates are lowest. Research data looking at future job needs consistently point to labour shortages in health- and science-related fields, as well as mining and engineering.

Speaking on behalf of the Building Trades, Canadian Operating Officer Robert Blakely said "we are very much heartened to see that the GOC has listened to industry and delivered on skills. The Canada Jobs Grant will allow us to deliver strongly needed skills in a much more timely way to the young Canadians who need those skills to access the best jobs in our growing industry."

Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, has highlighted the Government of Canada's commitment to increasing the role women play in non-traditional occupations. "Empowering more women to succeed in non-traditional careers makes sense for Canadian women and Canada's economy," said Minister Ambrose.

Northern Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area will be hubs of construction activity over the next few years, drawing in workers from outside Ontario's regions to meet the growing demand for skilled trades. A newly released labour market forecast from the Construction Sector Council says requirements diverge across Ontario, depending on the timing and scale of major projects, but that overall, the industry may need to recruit about 40,000 workers from outside the province.

Human resources directors at leading U.S. companies told a 2004 survey that up to a third of their employees could not write properly. But can HR directors write? -- Aïda Alaka, a U.S. law professor, wrote in a 2010 article in the Journal of Legal Education: “Many of my brightest students have, by their own admission, no grasp of the rules governing writing.”

The provincial government is partnering with the Learning Disabilities Association of New Brunswick to help apprentices with learning disabilities in their training. Apprentices now have access through the association to additional assistive technology to support their learning.

Nova Scotians are encouraged to recognize people for their contributions to literacy and learning through the Council of the Federation Literacy Award. The deadline for nominations is Monday, April 22.

"Newfoundland and Labrador is facing very real challenges related to our population and demographics in the coming years. In fact by 2020 we will need 70,000 skilled people to ensure we can take maximum advantage of the economic opportunities before us. Through our recently announced Population Growth Strategy, we will build on the work of the Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism and keep attracting new Canadians as part of our plan to address these challenges." -- Joan Shea, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills

Laubach Literacy Ontario's 2013 conference titled "Looking Ahead" is being hosted by the North Bay Literacy Council in celebration of its 35th anniversary. Location will be Nipissing University in North Bay, Ontario, June 21-23, 2013. The organization is looking for presenters to provide workshops on Saturday, June 22. The deadline for submissions is April 18, 2013.

Internationally renowned commentator on global affairs, CNN's Dr. Fareed Zakaria, who delivered the keynote address, said of the conference: "I think having a meeting like this ... to begin this process of really transforming education for the future so that it becomes something that is as innovative and as forward looking and as dynamic as so many of the other aspects of society going forward, is a tremendous advantage."