National Adult Literacy Database

Canadian employers slipped to 20th place in terms of the priority employers place on employee skills training in a recent ranking. Less than 30 per cent of adult workers aged 25-64 received job-related education and training in Canada, compared with 45 per cent in the U.S., show data from Industry Canada and Statistics Canada.

According to the results of Randstad's latest Global Workmonitor, surveying employees in 29 countries around the world, over half of Canadian employees expect to keep working beyond their official retirement age. Interestingly enough, nearly half of the respondents say they're happy about it.

"Mental health does not carry the stigma that it once did, but our research shows that that there is definite evidence of stigma in the workplace," says Paula Allen, VP Health Solutions & Practice Leader, Consulting, Morneau Shepell. "There are several important drivers for organizations to address this issue strategically, and with practical and meaningful steps. We are urging employers to get involved in the discussion regarding how."

The Government of Canada has officially launched Canada Summer Jobs 2012, creating thousands of job opportunities for students.

Employment was virtually unchanged in January, and the unemployment rate edged up 0.1 percentage points to 7.6% as more people searched for work. Compared with 12 months earlier, employment rose by 129,000 (+0.7%), with most of the growth occurring in the first six months of this period.

Not all francophone minority communities carry the same weight or have the same institutional support. “On the Acadian peninsula of New Brunswick and in certain regions of Ontario, people can easily obtain services in French. They have institutional support whereas in British Columbia it takes people a long time to obtain services in French. It is important to make that distinction,” says Yvon Laberge, a member of the NALD Board of Directors.

According to a recent national survey reporting on nearly 10,000 Canadian classes, one in every six students has an identified learning exceptionality. In addition, more than one in 10 students in these classes have challenges understanding the school's language of instruction. The survey, conducted by the Canadian Teachers' Federation drew responses from nearly 3,800 teachers, the largest number obtained in a CTF online survey to date.

Establishing a culture of learning in the home encourages an exchange of ideas, enriches family relationships, and bolsters confidence and independent thinking. On January 27 across Canada thousands of families, literacy groups, schools, libraries and community organizations gathered in their communities to celebrate the importance of literacy and learning in honour of Family Literacy Day – Canada’s largest family literacy initiative.

The Board of Directors and staff of the HR Council for the Nonprofit Sector (HR Council) met recently to continue their discussions concerning the future of the organization in the wake of the federal government’s announcement that the Sector Council Program will no longer be in place after March 2013.

"We think of a thriving workforce as one in which employees are not just satisfied and productive but also engaged in creating the future — the company's and their own," said Gretchen Spreitzer, professor of management and organizations at the Michigan Ross School of Business. "Thriving employees have a bit of an edge — they are highly energized — but they know how to avoid burnout."

January 27 was Family Literacy Day and the National Adult Literacy Database (NALD) had the opportunity to speak to Sheree Fitch, award-winning Canadian children’s author, about what the learning journey means to her.

The Hershey Centre in Mississauga is the place to be on Family Literacy Day as the Mississauga Majors and Peterborough Petes battle on the ice on Friday, January 27, at 7:30 p.m. in the name of literacy and learning.

Lisa Raitt, Canada’s minister of labour, hosted a roundtable with key stakeholders on the issue of women in the workforce. The roundtable was held as a follow-up to a series of meetings conducted by the minister last summer.

If you need to have things a certain way at work or you become anxious, or you hold yourself to impossible standards, you may have a problem with perfectionism. Here are some tips for making some important workplace changes in 2012.

More than 120 of Toronto's best known literary figures have signed an open letter to Mayor Rob Ford and City Council to express their concern that proposed cuts to the Toronto Public Library will do "grievous harm to one of the leading public libraries in the world and the people who use it."