National Adult Literacy Database

Ontario must act quickly to become more competitive and seize opportunities in the new global economy or its prosperity will decline, according to Advantage Ontario, the report of Ontario's Jobs and Prosperity Council. The report identifies five key areas for action: going global; driving productivity growth; unleashing innovation and entrepreneurship; capitalizing on strength in talent, and delivering smart, efficient government.

Ontario universities welcome a new report by the Jobs and Prosperity Council that calls for partnerships among government, the education and private sectors, and other stakeholders to play an integral part in improving Ontario's economic competitiveness.

Whether you’re a young person who recently graduated, just getting your career started or finally moving out on your own, it can be hard to keep track of your personal finances. Some of the biggest mistakes are also the most common and can seriously cost you in the long term. Here are the top 10, along with some tips on how to avoid them.

"Things are moving extremely quickly in analytics, social business, smarter commerce and security,” says Les Rechan, general manager of business analytics at IBM. “What we’ve found here … is that technology becomes the Number 1 challenge for CEOs.”

Following little change in October, employment rose by 59,000 in November, the result of an increase in full-time work. The unemployment rate declined 0.2 percentage points to 7.2 per cent.

Over the past few years Canadian Literacy and Learning Network (CLLN) has undergone a number of changes. One of the most recent changes has been the transition from a representational board to a skills-based board. CLLN is currently seeking applicants for one of 10 board positions.

The purpose of the State of the Literacy and Essential Skills Field report is to provide an overview of Literacy and Essential Skills across Canada from the unique perspective of CLLN and its national network partners, the provincial and territorial literacy coalitions. This is the first national environmental scan to be conducted by CLLN and as such it will inform the direction of future scans and will be the basis of further work to show how the Literacy and Essential Skills field is responding to trends.

"Whether Canadians with sight loss need information about education, interview techniques, or workplace accommodation, access to employment resources for people who are blind or partially sighted will ensure meaningful employment in a wide range of fields for years to come," says Penny Hartin, Chief Executive Officer of the World Blind Union.

"The Mentoring Partnership has made over 7,000 mentoring matches and has proven to be a successful strategy to help skilled immigrants find meaningful employment," says Margaret Eaton, Executive Director, Toronto Region Immigrant Employment Council. "TD is a corporate leader in mentoring skilled immigrants and using that experience to build the cultural competency of its employees and strengthen the inclusiveness of the workplace."

Junior Achievement of Canada is pleased to announce the launch of the new "Keep your balance" interactive tool for students. The tool was developed in partnership with Accenture and allows students to understand how the financial and environmental decisions they make can impact their life.

CSTD programming focuses primarily on those areas that are specific to training and development. While general management and leadership topics are always included in their programs, priority is given to the five core competency areas for the profession.

The Centre for Excellence in Foundational Learning at Bow Valley College is looking for experienced adult education practitioners to serve on an advisory committee for an innovative adult writing assessment project titled Write Forward. Members will assist in reviews of project design and development through all stages, and assist with networking and promotion of the project across Canada.

Over 100 eminent academics have signed a letter to Aboriginal and Northern Affairs Minister John Duncan demanding that core funding for Aboriginal organizations be restored to protect vital research projects underway. The signatories highlight that researchers partner with tribal councils, the National Aboriginal Health Organization, and other Aboriginal representative organizations to address "health, education and infrastructure issues that are preventing Canadian First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities from reaching their full potential."

Out of 1,000 people surveyed for a new study from the Investor Education Fund (IEF), only 36 per cent scored a passing grade of more than 60 per cent when it came to testing their knowledge on topics such as financial fraud, RRSPs, mortgages and investing.

The National Call for Concepts for Social Finance invites organizations and individuals from across the country to submit ideas on how to improve social and economic outcomes for Canadians. Social finance is an exciting new way to encourage social innovation by creating new opportunities for investors and community organizations to partner on innovative projects and take their great ideas to a new level.