Posted: March 7, 2013 |

Category: Essential skills
Internal auditors looking to gain a professional edge will want to sharpen a number of non-technical skills, according to a new white paper just released by Robert Half and The Institute of Internal Auditors. The paper outlines the qualities that have emerged as essential for practitioners in a constantly shifting business environment.
Posted: March 6, 2013 |

Categories: Essential skills, Labour market, Learning
Each month NALD releases Library user statistics in a feature known as the Top 20 downloads/20 Plus téléchargés. 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.
Posted: March 5, 2013 |

Category: Essential skills
In developing nations, with prohibited freedom, lower literacy rates, and lack of technological knowledge, many women are missing out on the Internet. While both genders tend to have more limited Internet connectivity than those in the west, there are still some very surprising discrepancies in how much more often men are able to access the web.
Posted: March 5, 2013 |

Category: Essential skills
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.
Posted: March 5, 2013 |

Category: Essential skills
The new Ontario government has created a new Northern cabinet committee that will address the complex needs of Northern Ontario, including job creation, revitalizing transportation infrastructure and improving vital access to the Ring of Fire. Premier Wynne and her team are also looking at ways to improve access to health care and education in the region.
Posted: March 5, 2013 |

Category: Essential skills
As of June 1, employment assistance services for EI-eligible clients in Newfoundland and Labrador currently run by most third-party service providers will be delivered through the Department of Advanced Education and Skills. This change in service delivery will mean a re-investment of approximately $14 million annually for programs and services to help people secure long-term employment.
Posted: March 1, 2013 |

Category: Essential skills
Defined in the simplest terms, a spelling bee is a competition in which individuals are asked how to spell a variety of words. Yet to the people who organized and participated in a recent event at Blossom Park Educational Centre in Woodstock, Ontario, it was considerably more.
Posted: March 1, 2013 |

Category: Essential skills
Canadians with disabilities have a tremendous amount to offer employers, but they remain under‑represented in the workforce. That is why the Government of Canada, through Economic Action Plan 2012, is investing an additional $30 million in the Opportunities Fund to help more people with disabilities gain the hands-on experience they need to find jobs.
Posted: March 1, 2013 |

Category: Essential skills
Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, spoke at the Canada 2020 Conference on Skilled Trades in the Energy Sector, stressing the country’s skills and labour shortages and the need for increased partnership to tackle this joint challenge.
Posted: March 1, 2013 |

Category: Essential skills
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.
Posted: February 22, 2013 |

Category: Essential skills
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.
Posted: February 22, 2013 |

Category: Essential skills
In her first jobs roundtable discussion with members of Ontario's Jobs and Prosperity Council, business leaders and young entrepreneurs, Premier Kathleen Wynne reiterated her commitment to create jobs and build a stronger economy and a fair society by ensuring our young people have the tools and confidence they need to succeed.
Posted: February 20, 2013 |

Category: Essential skills
As part of its ongoing skills initiative, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce has unveiled the findings of its Symposium on Skills and Small Business held in November. From the outset of the project, it has been clear Canada must upgrade the skills of its domestic workforce, including the essential skills that are critical for improved training outcomes and productivity growth.
Posted: February 15, 2013 |

Category: Essential skills
The second issue of Essential Skills Ontario's 2013 Essential Skills Bulletin Series is now available for free download on its website. PIAAC: Problem Solving in Technology-Rich Environments and the Survey of Skills Used at Work is the second of two bulletins that cover the highly anticipated international survey of adult literacy, numeracy and problem-solving skills.
Posted: February 14, 2013 |

Category: Essential skills
It's often said there are no bad questions, but a new OfficeTeam survey suggests otherwise. Human resources (HR) managers were asked to recount the most unusual or surprising question they have heard a job seeker ask during an interview.
Posted: February 13, 2013 |

Category: Essential skills
An innovative new learning and development pilot project has been announced to help
Inuit build their skills and experience for potential future positions in the public service. The first group of participants is anticipated to begin their work placements in late May 2013.
Posted: February 13, 2013 |

Category: Essential skills
The Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec (CALQ) is proud to announce the five recipients of a prestigious career grant for 2012-2014.
Posted: February 12, 2013 |

Category: Essential skills
The Canadian Institute of Chartered Accountants (CICA) believes that a nationally coordinated effort involving many stakeholders is required to improve the financial literacy of Canadians. CICA is planning to launch a new program in 2013 using its members to provide community-based financial education across Canada.
Posted: February 6, 2013 |

Categories: Essential skills, Learning
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.
Posted: February 6, 2013 |

Categories: Essential skills, Learning
Each month NALD releases Library user statistics in a feature known as the Top 20 downloads. The report examines the number of NALD Library documents which are viewed and downloaded by visitors to the NALD website.
Posted: February 4, 2013 |

Categories: Essential skills, Learning
Vulnerable children in Africa and persons with disabilities in South Asia will see their lives improved thanks to a partnership between the Government of Canada and York University.
Posted: February 1, 2013 |

Category: Essential skills
The Prime Minister's Volunteer Awards were created for two main reasons: to recognize exceptional contributions that individual volunteers, not-for-profit organizations and local businesses make to improve the well-being of families and their communities; and to highlight the best practices in community leadership that these outstanding volunteers have developed.
Posted: January 31, 2013 |

Categories: Essential skills, Learning
FREDERICTON, N.B. - The National Adult Literacy Database (NALD) has issued a call for nominations for its fourth annual NALD Innovative Technology Award.
NALD established the award in 2010 to bring greater visibility to an exemplary or innovative technology product, project or service that benefits the field of adult literacy and essential skills.
Posted: January 28, 2013 |

Category: Essential skills
Insights is an electronic newsletter that highlights important LES research findings for Canada. This issue focuses on employer supports and strategies for workplace LES training. It also includes information about the PIAAC survey for which data will be available in 2013.
Posted: January 28, 2013 |

Category: Essential skills
Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development, attended a Champions Breakfast in Ottawa recently to provide words of encouragement and support as WorldSkills Team Canada 2013 makes its final preparations to compete against the world's best skilled trades talent in Leipzig, Germany, July 2-7 2013.
Posted: January 24, 2013 |

Category: Essential skills
This event is a professional development opportunity that will provide insights into how practitioners may access the data and information contained within four powerful resources to enhance their knowledge and the quality of service they deliver to their clients.
Posted: January 24, 2013 |

Category: Essential skills
The first issue of our 2013 Essential Skills Bulletin Series is now available for free download. About the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is the first of two bulletins that cover the highly anticipated international survey of adult literacy, numeracy and problem-solving skills.
Posted: January 24, 2013 |

Category: Essential skills
Think of the information interview as an exploratory conversation, not a formal interview. During the interview be calm, curious and attentive. Ask the officials about their position and what they are proudest of with respect to their division and the company. Find out what the company needs help with.
Posted: January 23, 2013 |

Category: Essential skills
Canadians (aged 18 to 54) are concerned that their ability to save for retirement will be impaired both by saving for their children's education (48 per cent) and by taking care of their aging parents (36 per cent), according to the 23rd Annual RBC RRSP Poll.
Posted: January 16, 2013 |

Category: Essential skills
Ontario is investing in training and development projects that will support jobs and improve the quality of life for First Nations communities in the Ring of Fire. New projects will focus on providing social, community and economic development supports to First Nations to help them participate in potential Ring of Fire developments.