National Adult Literacy Database

"Whether Canadians with sight loss need information about education, interview techniques, or workplace accommodation, access to employment resources for people who are blind or partially sighted will ensure meaningful employment in a wide range of fields for years to come," says Penny Hartin, Chief Executive Officer of the World Blind Union.

In his new free workshop for 2013, Tom Sticht reviews extensive data on intergenerational inequalities in education and economics. He also presents data from many studies to suggest that greater investments in the education of undereducated youth and adults, many of whom are parents or will become parents, can help break the multiple life cycles of inequalities in education and economic achievement.

For the second year in a row, Decoda Literacy Solutions staff spent the fall travelling to eight regions around British Columbia for two-day training, networking and idea-sharing events.

Toronto Public Library has announced its sixth annual First & Best Booklist, the highly anticipated selection of the year's best in Canadian books for children from birth to age five that are fun to read and help build early literacy skills.

Skills/Compétences Canada, a national not-for-profit organization that actively promotes careers in skilled trades, has announced that Lowe's will be renewing its Toolbox for Education Grant Program for 2013. This will be the third year that Lowe's, in partnership with Skills/Compétences Canada, offers the program benefiting students and educators in Ontario and Alberta.

An overwhelming majority (96 per cent) of Canadian owners of small and medium-sized businesses agree that workers 65 years and older offer more valuable experience and expertise than younger workers, according to new research from Investors Group. Sixty-nine per cent contend that this group is not more expensive to employ.

Many workers are saying "Bah, humbug!" to company holiday parties, a new OfficeTeam survey suggests. Although more than three-quarters (77 per cent) of senior managers interviewed said their employer is holding a holiday celebration this year, only 55 per cent of employees gave the festivities high marks.

The Saskatchewan Literacy Network has prepared this report to provide the context for literacy and essential skills activities in the province and to gain a more strategic understanding of existing and emerging skill shortages and their impact on literacy and essential skills.

CSTD programming focuses primarily on those areas that are specific to training and development. While general management and leadership topics are always included in their programs, priority is given to the five core competency areas for the profession.

I DO BUSINESS. National Summit & Trade Show (Success for Aboriginal Entrepreneurs) will bring together business and literacy to support current and emerging Aboriginal entrepreneurs from coast to coast to coast in Canada. Planned for March 4-6, 2013, in Toronto, this event brings to the forefront the importance of connecting economic development and adult literacy to support Aboriginal business development.

The Centre for Excellence in Foundational Learning at Bow Valley College is looking for experienced adult education practitioners to serve on an advisory committee for an innovative adult writing assessment project titled Write Forward. Members will assist in reviews of project design and development through all stages, and assist with networking and promotion of the project across Canada.

In the heart of Saint‑Boniface, Winnipeg's officially bilingual community, an organization founded in 1982 by and for women in Manitoba, celebrated its 30th anniversary in October. The theme of the celebration was "Thirty years of living in harmony."

An extension of an agreement between the B.C. government and the Central Interior Logging Association (CILA) will allow 30 more students to train as log and chip truck drivers or heavy-equipment operators under the Forest Industry Readiness Skills Training (FIRST) program and place them in permanent positions within the sector.

Over 100 eminent academics have signed a letter to Aboriginal and Northern Affairs Minister John Duncan demanding that core funding for Aboriginal organizations be restored to protect vital research projects underway. The signatories highlight that researchers partner with tribal councils, the National Aboriginal Health Organization, and other Aboriginal representative organizations to address "health, education and infrastructure issues that are preventing Canadian First Nations, Métis and Inuit communities from reaching their full potential."

It’s a truism that Canada is a nation of immigrants, but in the years ahead, demographics — an aging population and low birthrate — and changing employment patterns, with increased demand for specific skills, indicate the role of immigrants in the Canadian economy will only grow.