National Adult Literacy Database

November is Financial Literacy Month, an initiative developed by the Financial Literacy Action Group (FLAG), in collaboration with the Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC), the Government of Canada's lead agency on financial literacy.

The Office of Literacy and Essential Skills (OLES) will host a webinar on Thursday, November 3, from 12 to 1:30 p.m. Eastern time. The objectives of the presentation are to share good practices and lessons learned, as well as HRSDC tools and resources that may benefit Aboriginal agreement holders and other organizations, and advance literacy and essential skills.

Veterans Affairs Canada has put together a package of learning resources to help teachers and students observe Veterans' Week and Remembrance Day on November 11, 2011. One of the activities is Postcards for Peace which provides an opportunity for youth to send postcards to those who served Canada in times of war, military conflict and peace or to still-serving Canadian Forces members. This learning activity allows youth to actively remember the sacrifices and achievements of Canadian veterans.

"Like our founders, we are facing a dramatic shift in the demands of the economy and the next generation of learners are entering a period of profound social and political change - in this case on a global scale," says CEA Chair Lynne Zucker. "And in a country with 13 education systems, all implementing improvement strategies simultaneously, more than ever we need the pan-Canadian context that the CEA provides. "

"While tablet users may be more oriented towards news anyway, there's something about the tablet that's causing them to do what they're inclined to do even more and in new ways," says Tom Rosenstiel, director of the project and a lead author of the study.

Dorothy MacKeracher, dean of education at Yorkville, says the program is designed to offer flexibility for adult educators to continue working as they complete their degree. "The online delivery of courses uses modern teaching methods to deliver a robust and thorough curriculum that is at par with in-class delivery."

Career coach Karen Goins has advice for those out of work that could be followed by the employed as well. She says you should never stop looking for a job, even if you have one. You should always have your eyes open, always be asking around about other opportunities, and never accept that you're stuck in a job for life.

Small businesses are a key driver of Canada's economy, accounting for about 98 per cent of all business establishments in the country and about two-thirds of the private sector workforce.

The OECD Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) will support countries in their efforts to design and implement policies which foster both the development of skills and the optimal use of existing skills.

The CICA Youth Financial Literacy Study 2011, conducted by Harris/Decima, measured the financial literacy of Canadians aged 16-22. Nine-in-10 respondents (93 per cent) believe that parents should be good role models for responsible financial decisions and 83 per cent have approached their parents for advice about money management.

All workplace meetings are good in theory but often these and countless other conference room characters can derail a gathering. This article points out seven of the biggest meeting offenders, along with advice you can use to avoid becoming one yourself.

The working world presents its own catch-22 for many folks just starting out in the job hunt. Most employers prefer to hire candidates with experience but as many frustrated job-seekers will tell you, experience is hard to come by when no one’s willing to hire you without it.

Avoiding chronic stress using healthy diversions can help people survive multiple role strain. For example, reading a book for pleasure or giving oneself a break by watching a favourite TV program can be rejuvenating in small doses.

"The Tri-Mentoring Program at Ryerson University is one of only two programs in Canada committed to integrating culturally and linguistically diverse students into a university and professional setting," says Kabir Abdurrahman, program coordinator.

On October 12, National Students' Day, students took the opportunity to call on all levels of government in Canada to make post-secondary education accessible to everyone, regardless of their economic circumstances.