National Adult Literacy Database

The total budget for the N.B. Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training and Labour for 2012-13 is up almost two per cent from the previous fiscal year. New measures targeted at post-secondary education have also been announced.

Laubach Literacy Ontario is organizing a two-day conference, along with its annual general meeting, at Wilfrid Laurier University in Waterloo, Ontario, from June 8-9, 2012.

This issue features occupational task profiles, a course review, OLES tools and information about the CLLN online forum for adult educators.

Based on the theme 'I'm still learning,' IALW was celebrated across the country from March 24 to April 1, 2012. Activities marking the event included la Grande Lecture, tribute evenings, writing contests and various performances. The Council of Ministers of Education, Canada also lent its support to the event.

The Yukon Literacy Coalition is receiving $200,000 so it can continue operating the Family Literacy Centre for another year, Education Minister Scott Kent has announced. The funding will allow the coalition to continue running the centre while a business plan to secure long-term funding from multiple partners is developed.

This dictionary is a full-colour, 369-page resource documenting thousands of Chipewyan words, phrases and sentences, arranged both alphabetically and topically. It also includes a searchable CD with MP3 files linked to each word and phrase. Users can see the language and hear it as spoken by a fluent speaker.

The report examines the number of NALD Library documents, in both English and French, which are viewed and downloaded by visitors to the websites NALD and BDAA.

Canadian magazine readers remain loyal to the print versions of their favorite titles, with fewer than one in 10 newsstand customers - and one in 20 women readers - having purchased an e-edition in the past year, according to a national survey. The online survey carried out in January identified women readers and residents of Quebec as having the strongest preference for print format magazines.

This literacy and essential skills training project will place Frontier College's labourer-teachers in businesses across Canada, focusing on high-needs sectors, with particular attention to Aboriginal and new immigrant workers. The labourer-teachers will provide one-to-one tutoring, mentoring and other educational support in the workplace.

The first step is often the hardest, but once someone takes that step, they never look back. Just ask Tammy, an adult learner in Edmonton. “It just takes one little step - a phone call to a library or literacy centre. And then they’ll help you through it. It’s all worth it.”

“Ministers of education recognize that Canada works best when all citizens have the knowledge and skills they need to succeed,” said Ramona Jennex, Minister of Education for Nova Scotia and current Chair of CMEC. “This means there can be no one left behind: young people, adult workers, Aboriginal Canadians, new immigrants, and those with differing abilities. All must have access to quality educational opportunities to ensure their success.”

Adult learning in Canada and around the world since the Second World War owes a great deal to a handful of Canadians who continue to provide leadership today. Although adult education has been practised in Canada since the early 19th century, it wasn’t until after the war that it developed its own formal field of study.

For the 10th anniversary of International Adult Learners' Week in Canada (IALW) 2012, the Canadian Commission for UNESCO would like to stress the urgent need to reach a broader public. Better synergy among stakeholders facilitates the sharing of lessons learned, as well as its giving greater visibility to learners across the country, the organization says.

Take part in the celebration of International Adult Learners’ Week by practising your literacy skills - read about a new hobby, complete a crossword, word jumble or Sudoku puzzle, or sign up for a professional development program at work.

Grass Roots Press specializes in high-quality books for adults with low-literacy skills. Among the new titles is the Maple Leaf Series in which images illustrate the text, making the words easy to decode, and sentence patterns are repeated, making the text easy to read.