National Adult Literacy Database

Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for the Status of Women, has issued a call for projects that will increase opportunities for women in non-traditional roles, as part of a call for proposals to increase economic opportunities for women in Canada.

There was a time when a University degree assured you a of good job, good pay and a comfortable life. Not any more. Today, the unemployment rate for young people in this country is close to 15% – double that of the general population. But the real crisis is the increasing number of university and college grads who are underemployed – scraping by on low-paid, part-time jobs that don’t require a degree.

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.

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).

Following an increase the previous month, employment declined by 55,000 in March, all in full-time work. The unemployment rate rose 0.2 percentage points to 7.2 per cent.

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 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.

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.

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.

Six Yukon music businesses have been selected by Yukon’s Film & Sound Commission to attend a three-day Music Summit, a component of Canadian Music Week, in Toronto March 21 to 23. “These local businesspeople have clearly demonstrated their commitment to building a career in Yukon’s music industry,” Economic Development Minister Currie Dixon said.

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.

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.