National Adult Literacy Database

This is the week we celebrate adult learners here in our community and across the country for their commitment to lifelong learning. The time and energy they devote to learning have personal benefits but also improves our communities and workplaces. Adult Learners’ Week is also the perfect opportunity to explore the many types of learning available to adults from all walks of life.

Continuous learning has a ripple effect, not only for learners but for teachers and the communities in which they reside. Each year at this time, the National Adult Literacy Database (NALD) joins literacy and essential skills organizations from across Canada to celebrate Adult Learners’ Week.

The National Adult Literacy Database has extended the nomination process for its fourth annual Innovation Technology Award. Submissions will now be accepted until April 15, 2013.

The Sydney Tar Ponds project celebrated Nova Scotia women's leadership in the trades and technology fields at a special symposium recently. About 100 people, including representatives from local businesses, not-for-profit organizations and education, attended the event which featured networking, discussions and presentations from women working in trades and technologies.

The survey provides LES workers with a unique opportunity to speak about their own experience and reality as a member of that workforce. It is part of a larger study that will allow CLLN to provide a picture of the demographics of Literacy and Essential Skills practitioners as well as what kinds of work they do, where they do it and how they do it.

Marty Warren, United Steelworkers Director for Atlantic Canada and Ontario, said workers and communities deserve greater commitment and co-operation from the company and federal and provincial governments to revive the Nova Forge plant and to provide greater support for industry as a whole.

Look at any community college application list, and more often than not, you’ll find a sizable contingent of university graduates. The thought that a university degree is the ticket to instant career success is creating a backlash in Canada.

Students learn about agriculture by reading books about farming, watching videos and meeting with farmers and other agricultural representatives. An important element to the success of the agriculture literacy week program is the connection between students and local farmers and agriculture industry representatives.

Pat Salt, a learning support strategist based in Calgary, has a new approach to learning that constitutes a major shift in thinking when it comes to essential skills. She presented her views at Made in the North, a unique pan-territorial forum for exploring effective approaches to adult literacy and skills development.

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.