Posted: October 15, 2012 |

Category: Labour market
The implementation of revised international System of National Accounts economic accounting standards resulted in a slight downward revision to Canada's average annual growth in business sector labour productivity over the period 1981 to the second quarter of 2012.
Posted: October 15, 2012 |

Category: Learning
The Lois Hole Memorial Awards honour individuals, organizations or businesses that have demonstrated a commitment to literacy in Alberta. Nominations will be accepted by the Centre for Family Literacy until November 9, 2012.
Posted: October 15, 2012 |

Category: Learning
"ADHD is a complex neurobiological disorder that remains highly misunderstood," said Heidi Bernhardt, national director of CADDAC. "By sharing up-to-date medical information and real-life stories, CADDAC and its partners are sending a unified message to help educate and better understand ADHD and what it is like to live with the disorder."
Posted: October 10, 2012 |

Category: Learning
IEW provides an opportunity to celebrate and showcase the rich variety of innovative programs and activities that expose students to an international dimension, enriching their learning and preparing them for global citizenship.
Posted: October 10, 2012 |

Category: Learning
Join the party to celebrate one of Canada’s most prestigious book awards, The Scotiabank Giller Prize, at the Scotiabank Giller Light Bash, in support of Frontier College.
This year, there are parties held from coast to coast. You can celebrate in Halifax, Toronto, Winnipeg, Calgary and Vancouver.
On Tuesday, October 30, join the action by watching the Scotiabank Giller Prize! Each party will have its own special fun.
Posted: October 5, 2012 |

Category: Labour market
Employment increased for the second consecutive month in September, up 52,000, mainly in full-time work. There was more employment in a number of industries, including retail and wholesale trade; construction; information, culture and recreation as well as agriculture. Employment rose in Ontario and Manitoba and fell in Saskatchewan with little change shown in the other provinces.
Posted: October 3, 2012 |

Category: Essential skills
For Essential Skills Day on September 21, Literacy Alberta asked practitioners across the province to put on their thinking caps and visualize the nine essential skills in a photo scavenger hunt. Winners were the Centre for Newcomers, the Centre for Family Literacy, and VegMin Learning.
Posted: October 3, 2012 |

Categories: Essential skills, Labour market
As the country continues to experience skills shortages in key sectors of the economy, Randstad Canada describes the country's growing shortage of highly skilled labour as critical, predicting shortages in the manufacturing, automation and energy and utility industries.
Posted: October 2, 2012 |

Category: Essential skills
Sandi Howell is Provincial Manager, Sector Council Program, Essential Skills and RPL, at Industry Workforce Development (IWD), in Manitoba’s Department of Entrepreneurship, Training and Trade. She also serves as the province’s strategic advisor to Workplace Education Manitoba.
Posted: October 2, 2012 |

Categories: Essential skills, Learning
ABC Life Literacy Canada has announced the 2012 Life Literacy Award winners in recognition of outstanding achievement in adult literacy and essential skills. Awards were presented in the categories of community literacy, workplace education, journalism and corporate excellence.
Posted: October 2, 2012 |

Category: Learning
Clear Language and Design's Sally McBeth has selected two "humble items" from her household mail to illustrate the benefits of choosing clear language in writing. The first piece she has rewritten for the sake of clarity; she is offering the second one as an exercise to help mark International Clear Language Day.
Posted: October 1, 2012 |

Categories: Essential skills, Labour market
Organizations that focus on developing healthy workplaces enjoy tangible benefits. These take the form of increased productivity, higher staff engagement, lower absenteeism, lower benefits claims costs, lower turnover, and greater resilience. Returns on healthy workplace investments reported by large private-sector organizations can range from $1.81 to $6.15 for every $1 invested.
Posted: October 1, 2012 |

Category: Learning
The Canadian Library Association is pleased to announce that October has been designated as Canadian Library Month. The idea for a month dedicated to library and information services in Canada was developed by library partners from across the country to help raise public awareness of the valuable role that libraries play in the lives of Canadians.
Posted: September 24, 2012 |

Categories: Essential skills, Labour market
This research study explores the effects of the Temporary Foreign Workers' Program with respect to skilled trades workers. The case study addresses issues of credential acquisition, education and training, and language difficulties.
Posted: September 20, 2012 |

Category: Essential skills
Over the past 18 months, the Canadian Literacy and Learning Network (CLLN) has been engaged in a series of research projects exploring the links between literacy and earnings, resulting in the complex Literacy and Earnings Project.
Posted: September 20, 2012 |

Category: Learning
ABC Life Literacy Canada is delighted to announce the 2012 Life Literacy Award winners in recognition of outstanding achievement in adult literacy and essential skills through community literacy, workplace education, journalism and corporate excellence.
Posted: September 20, 2012 |

Category: Essential skills
Some of the fastest growing jobs in the coming decade have yet to be identified. In fact, the term “new job” itself is changing. It can refer to a job that did not previously exist, or a job that carries the same name but requires such different skills as to render it changed. In either case, the need for skilled employees to fill these positions is increasing.
Posted: September 19, 2012 |

Category: Essential skills
Business leaders recognize that investment in people has a direct impact on the bottom line. Raising awareness of this relationship is the goal of Learn@Work Week, an initiative of the Canadian Society for Training and Development (CSTD). This year, CSTD recognizes 16 senior business leaders who understand this relationship and are active advocates of learning in the workplace.
Posted: September 12, 2012 |

Category: Learning
The Literacy Alberta Awards of Excellence recognize contributions to the field of literacy in Alberta. You have until September 28, 2012, to nominate an outstanding organization, volunteer, student or literacy practitioner.
"With the UN’s End-Of-Decade Assessment, we expect to have a clearer understanding of the literacy needs around the world, and therefore the ability to target them more effectively. Though the UN will move on to new prerogatives, the emerging post-Decade Literacy Vision and Action Plan suggests that this is not the end, but rather the start of a more capable response from the literacy community."
“Ministers of education are pleased to add their voice to the global call for greater literacy for all peoples,” said Ramona Jennex, Chair of CMEC and Minister of Education for Nova Scotia. “We recognize that literacy is one of the pillars of an open and democratic, economically strong, and socially inclusive society.”
"Literacy, if we need to be reminded, is the great enabler that allows individuals to unlock their potential. It’s the basic skill set on which most other capabilities are built. As we celebrate International Literacy Day (proclaimed by UNESCO in 1965) this Saturday, we should also remember that literacy is a fundamental human right."
Posted: September 5, 2012 |

Category: Essential skills
Every year, 250,000 Grade 9 students across the country participate in The Learning Partnership's Take Our Kids to Work™ day. This nation-wide event provides students with the opportunity to spend the day at the workplace of a parent, relative or family friend, learning basic business and life skills. More than 75,000 employers participate annually.
Posted: September 5, 2012 |

Categories: Essential skills, Labour market
A new publication in the NALD Library could serve as a wakeup call for Canadians interested in or concerned about the future of the workforce. A follow-up to People without Jobs, Jobs without People (2010), Dr. Rick Miner’s latest work is entitled Jobs of the Future: Options and Opportunities (2012).
Posted: September 4, 2012 |

Category: Learning
The tireless work of Senator Joyce Fairbairn "changed the perception of the importance of literacy as a federal issue, bringing new resources and new status as a national concern. It’s hard to remember that at that time it was a novel idea that the federal government might have a larger role to play in supporting Canadians to meet their literacy skills needs." -- Margaret Eaton, President of ABC Life Literacy Canada
Posted: August 31, 2012 |

Category: Essential skills
“The new Sectoral Initiatives Program will gather critical labour market information and make it available through the Working in Canada online portal, helping to ensure Canadians are more aware of the skills that are needed for the jobs that are in demand.” – Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development
Posted: August 31, 2012 |

Category: Essential skills
Through a competitive process, the Sectoral Initiatives Program will fund partnership-based projects that are national in scope and that support the development of labour market intelligence to help address skills shortages in key sectors of Canada’s economy.
Posted: August 29, 2012 |

Category: Learning
Grass Roots Press has an international reputation for publishing high-quality resources for adult basic education and English as a Second Language communities. The company carries over 500 books, DVDs, and software packages and it publishes assessment tools, workbooks, photo stories, biographies, and literature -- publications that enhance adults' literacy skills.
Posted: August 23, 2012 |

Category: Essential skills
A new online tool connecting skilled workers, employers, post-secondary institutions and government is tackling fears of a looming labour crisis that is expected to produce up to 500,000 vacant jobs across the country over the next decade.
Posted: August 22, 2012 |

Category: Learning
"Over 40 per cent of Albertans do not have the literacy skills to fully participate in life, at work, at home, and in their community. This needs to be addressed, and with the wealth of economic, physical, and human resources in the province, indeed it should. If Alberta cannot take the lead, then who?" -- Literacy Alberta