National Adult Literacy Database

Tens of thousands of truck drivers are approaching retirement age, but very few young people and immigrants are entering the industry. A new Conference Board of Canada report concludes that the gap between the supply of drivers and the demand for them - estimated at 25,000 by 2020 - could be costly to the Canadian economy.

As part of its ongoing skills initiative, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce has unveiled the findings of its Symposium on Skills and Small Business held in November. From the outset of the project, it has been clear Canada must upgrade the skills of its domestic workforce, including the essential skills that are critical for improved training outcomes and productivity growth.

The Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) is proud to announce the five recipients of a prestigious career grant for 2012-2014.

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.

Effective February 12, 2013, the Government of Canada's Aboriginal Canada Portal will be closed. The portal was developed in 2001, when it was more difficult to find Aboriginal resources and services on the Internet.

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

Help inform and shape thinking around policy, practice and research as we prepare for PIAAC. The Institute will examine and compare the learning from IALS and ALL across Canada and other countries, and explore how we can make the most effective use of the soon-to-be released PIAAC results. We will look at the new segments – problem-solving in technology-rich environments and the reading components – and at the implications of changes in levels and cut-off.

The New Readers Bookstore is a social enterprise of Frontier College. It has a wide variety of resources for tutors, trainers, teachers and learners. Its book list contains affordable literacy, ESL, GED and other titles of interest to the field. Check out the new catalogue for 2013.

"As librarians, we see first-hand what materials kids are actually reading and getting excited about. Over the past few years, there’s been a lot of anticipation in children’s books with new trends bubbling up to the surface each year. But what does the future hold for children's literature?"

The “new normal” of collective bargaining in Canada — modest economic prospects matched by modest expectations — may provide a degree of certainty not seen in several years, The Conference Board of Canada has concluded in its Industrial Relations Outlook 2013: Embracing the “New Normal.”

The new Job Alerts will provide emails to Canadian subscribers twice a day that contain job postings from a variety of sources, including Job Bank and other recruitment systems. Job Alerts will continue to be refined and improved over time to ensure it works effectively and efficiently for users.

The New Year is here, and with it come promises of change – eating healthier, going to the gym and getting a new job, perhaps. Improving your literacy skills can also help you make the ultimate change.