National Adult Literacy Database

The National Adult Literacy Database (NALD) supports the activities of its partners by promoting national and provincial/territorial events in the fields of adult literacy and education, family literacy, workplace learning and essential skills. One of these key occasions is International Adult Learners’ Week (IALW) being observed this year from April 2 to 9.

A historic agreement has been struck between the leaders of First Nations and universities in Atlantic Canada to enhance educational opportunities for Aboriginal people.

 In 2010, ABC Life Literacy Canada was chosen as the “charity of choice” for the Third Annual Canadian Short Screenplay Competition (CSSC), the most prestigious short film script contest in Canada. One dollar from every CSSC entry received in the competition from around the globe will be donated to ABC Life Literacy Canada.

In addition to lessons on firing a gun and searching for improvised explosive devices, Canadian soldiers will also be teaching Afghan forces to read, write and perform basic medicine when the country’s new training mission begins later this year.

OLC’s Spotlight on Learning:  Becoming Agents of Change conference was held in October 2010 in Toronto. This new website is designed not only to highlight the conference, but also to feed the momentum and energy in the field with continued learning, news updates, and stories of change that have been inspired by learning. Full of workshop videos, resources, downloads and much more, this website encourages a continuum of learning.

“The only privacy filter you can trust is the one in your head. If you don’t want something on the Web, on the news or spread around the office, don’t say or share it.”

Survey results released this week suggest 88 per cent of Canadian businesses are now offering their employees flexible work arrangements. However, the survey also suggested that 45 per cent of companies offer these perks to only their most senior employees.

"The author communicates with the book; the book communicates with the reader, and e-books are another connection between them. Whether the technology is printing a text on a Xerox machine or reading it in a book or writing it on a wall, there is always a triangle:  writer, text, reader."  – Margaret Atwood on subject of e-books

This study by The Centre for Literacy is designed to deepen knowledge and understanding of the literacy and essential skills needs of anglophone adults in Quebec to better serve English-speaking communities across the province.

This is a teaching and learning package designed to help adult learners increase their literacy and essential skills in order to make easier transitions to a new workforce or adapt to changing technology on the job.

There were small gains spread across a number of industries in February, led by health care and social assistance, and accommodation and food services. At the same time, there were declines in business, building and other support services and in public administration.

The PEI Literacy Alliance advances literacy for the people of Prince Edward Island. It does this in part by raising public awareness of literacy issues and creating partnerships for literacy projects.

Changes to the selection process and training of would-be teachers are to be piloted next year to ensure those entering the profession are suitable for the job and have the necessary levels of literacy and numeracy.

It takes more than a computer science degree or diploma to secure that dream job in high-tech these days. Now soft skills such as personal communications and the ability to work in teams are almost as important as knowing how to write code.

Windsor, Ontario, may be one of the finalists in this year’s search for the world's “2011 intelligent community,” but a new study that maps basic financial literacy among Canadian adults ranks the city among its “at-risk” communities.