National Adult Literacy Database

Nova Scotians who want to use the Gaelic language can apply for a bursary to study in Scotland. This is the second call for applications for the bursary program, which is administered by Gaelic Affairs and funded by the Scottish government. The deadline for applications is March 8, 2013.

The Standard Life Assurance Company of Canada has announced a new retirement solution called "Pension in a Box," designed to help small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) offer their employees a workplace retirement plan that answers their needs. Pension in a Box is intended to help the millions of Canadians who work for an SME to save for the future, and it will also help SMEs in terms of employee retention and satisfaction.

The Talent Group Canada has been relocating talented, skilled workers, such as Class 1 & 3 drivers, Engineers, Welders, Heavy Duty Mechanics, and Framers from Ontario to positions with employers throughout Western Canada with great results for both the employer and new employee. Here are tips for organizations that will assist in making any inter-provincial relocation a success.

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.

In honour of Queen Elizabeth’s 60-year reign as the British Monarch, 30 individuals have been selected to receive a Diamond Jubilee Medal for their contribution to improving literacy and skills levels of adult Canadians.

Employers can now apply for Canada Summer Jobs funding which will create thousands of job opportunities for students across the country, said Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development. Funding is available to not-for-profit organizations, public-sector employers and small businesses.

The Prime Minister's Volunteer Awards were created for two main reasons: to recognize exceptional contributions that individual volunteers, not-for-profit organizations and local businesses make to improve the well-being of families and their communities; and to highlight the best practices in community leadership that these outstanding volunteers have developed.

"Hiring in Canada is expected to outpace last year as employers focus on growing their businesses and meeting greater market demand," said Brent Rasmussen, President of CareerBuilder North America. "While employers remain watchful over factors impacting the global economy, we see more job opportunities opening up in everything from health care and information technology to trucking and manufacturing."

This year's Family Literacy Day celebration (January 27) came just weeks after very encouraging news about literacy and families in Canada. Results from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study show that Canadian parents have one of the highest levels of involvement in literacy-related activities with their preschool-age children. "The results ... confirm that Canadian parents are doing an excellent job in fostering a culture of literacy in the home," said Ramona Jennex, Chair of CMEC and Nova Scotia's Minister of Education.

"As more financial decisions are faced by Canadians at younger and younger ages, grasping financial principles early in life is crucial to being better prepared to participate in the Canadian and global economy and avoiding pitfalls in financial decision making." -- Report of Canada’s Task Force on Financial Literacy

Tell us how learning has made a difference in your life. Please email your titled entry (written or video) to Literacy Nova Scotia at cindy.stevens@nscc.ca. A written entry should be up to 500 words in the form of an essay, poem or short story. A video is one to two minutes, posted to You Tube (email the link). One entry per person is allowed and no group submissions will be accepted.

The National Adult Literacy Database (NALD) has joined other literacy organizations across Canada to observe Family Literacy Day on January 27. NALD had the opportunity this week to speak to Toronto Public Library to help highlight what is important to remember when it comes to family literacy.

Nova Scotia wants to hear more from employers and industry on what they can do to ensure apprentices are ready for good jobs in the province. An advisory panel will gather information about increasing the number of employers and graduates in the apprenticeship program.

ABC Life Literacy Canada and HSBC Bank Canada are working together to help Canadian families increase their literacy skills this year. HSBC Bank Canada is the 2013 and 2014 title sponsor of the HSBC Learning Activity Centre, in support of ABC Life Literacy Canada’s Family Literacy Day January 27.

Funding will be available for not-for-profit organizations, public-sector employers and small businesses to create high-quality summer job opportunities for young people from 15 to 30 years of age who are full-time students intending to return to their studies in the next school year.