National Adult Literacy Database

An online resource that collates information about authors from the province, called the New Brunswick Author Portal, is now available through the New Brunswick Public Library Service.

The National Adult Literacy Database (NALD) will host a webinar on its digital library Wednesday, May 8, 2013, from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Atlantic time.

The Yukon Literacy Coalition (YLC) is a community-based organization committed to increasing literacy and essential skills for adult learners in the Yukon.

Memorial’s Yaffle is a sophisticated online resource that allows users to find an expert, query research being done by the university in their geographic region, and even suggest research ideas. Compiled by the university’s Leslie Harris Centre of Regional Policy and Development, the new resource is a search engine of Memorial’s expertise and community development resources.

The province is taking steps to make sure international students studying at language schools in Nova Scotia receive a high-quality education. Nova Scotia is the first province to introduce legislation that will regulate language schools.

The ACCC Board is pleased to announce it has named Denise Amyot as the new President and CEO of the Association, effective June 4, 2013. Ms. Amyot most recently served as President and CEO of the Canada Science and Technology Museums Corporation, where she built on her track record of leadership excellence by implementing a strategic plan emphasizing beneficial partnerships with private sector, government institutions, not-for-profit organizations and academia.

ABC Life Literacy Canada’s Board of Directors is pleased to announce the appointment of Gillian Mason as the new president of the national non-profit adult literacy and essential skills organization. Ms. Mason will begin her new role on May 21, 2013.

Learners, practitioners and stakeholders are invited to participate in a research project that Calgary Learns is undertaking in collaboration with Bow Valley College on learner progress. The Learner Progression Measures project is hoping to interview learners and practitioners who are in literacy programs and workplace essential skills training programs, and stakeholders who are connected to such programs.

There’s a problem with most educational software products for children, says Rohan Mahimker. They’re not engaging enough. This observation, along with his memories of a “tedious” after-school tutoring program, is what drove Mr. Mahimker to develop an educational game as part of a fourth-year project at the University of Waterloo.

I DO BUSINESS - National Summit & Tradeshow was held on March 4-6, 2013 in Toronto. The three-day event was a great success, with over 150 individuals participating from coast to coast to coast. This National Summit boasted a variety of top-notch speakers on business and Aboriginal Entrepreneurship. Participants also noted that the networking opportunities were excellent, with many people leaving the event with binders full of business cards representing new opportunities and new friends.

Literacy Partners of Manitoba leads the way in increasing peoples’ awareness of the importance of literacy and essential skills in Manitoba: they work with communities to develop knowledge and expertise; showcase the best projects and people who help them in working with literacy; and build networks and form partnerships with stakeholders and individuals who are part of the cause. The Raise-a-Reader Fund is an extension of LPM, which has been secured and supported by PostMedia and the Winnipeg Free Press.

The federal government has announced a significant investment in Canada's colleges and polytechnics through the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CFI). The announcement was part of the Minister of State's keynote address at the Association of Canadian Community Colleges' Applied Research Symposium.

LCNB reports that its Adult Learners’ Writing Contest, Message in a Bottle, was a great success this year with 33 submissions from adult learners across New Brunswick. They congratulate all who entered the contest and thank them for "spreading the word about adult learning through your own powerful words and stories."

The Office of Literacy and Essential Skills (OLES) invites eligible organizations to submit concept papers to indicate their interest in being part of a pan-Canadian network (PCN) focused on improving the labour market outcomes of Canadians through strengthened literacy and essential skills (LES).

Campus Stores Canada (CSC) released a landmark study on the use and perception of "access code" learning materials among Canadian students and faculty. The study demonstrated that the use of such codes was widespread, but more education is needed regarding how they work and how much they cost.