National Adult Literacy Database

The Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada has awarded $199,721 to support a partnership project that targets university students at risk for academic difficulties because of a history of unidentified reading difficulties. NALD is part of the project’s knowledge dissemination team.

With this support, 400 northern youth aged 14 to 30 will begin a dialogue with mentors. These 400 young people will be exposed to Canadians professionals and given examples of potential career avenues in the rest of Canada, while also incorporating local values and local opportunities that reflect the reality of Yukon careers, history, and heritage. Mentors will gain awareness and knowledge about Canada's North and its people.

The consortium had asked the Supreme Court to interpret the fair dealing provision in the Copyright Act to permit teachers to make copies of short excerpts from a copyright-protected work, such as a book or a newspaper, for distribution to students.

In times of economic uncertainty and ever-changing information technology, organizations – whether in the public domain or private sector – are often obligated to sit back, reflect and re-evaluate their activities and priorities. With this in mind, the National Adult Literacy Database (NALD) is adapting some of its services and setting a new course for the future.

Grass Roots Press, in partnership with ABC Life Literacy Canada, is delighted to announce the September release of four new titles to the popular adult literacy Good Reads book series. Good Reads are original books by bestselling Canadian authors written for adult literacy and ESL learners.

Bill C-11 provides the legal framework necessary for students and teachers in elementary and secondary schools, colleges, and universities to use publicly available Internet materials in their educational pursuits. Consortium members believe this education amendment is essential at a time when governments are simultaneously increasing levels of connectivity, promoting skills development and innovation, and supporting the use of the Internet in classrooms.

For a small, northern literacy organization, the NWT Literacy Council has an unexpectedly wide reach. The resources it produces to help literacy workers do their jobs are in demand across Canada and internationally. Many of the resources are among the documents most downloaded from the online library of the National Adult Literacy Database (NALD).

NALD’s Feature of the Month for June shines the spotlight on AlphaPlus’ Featured Technology section: a fast, easy way to access pertinent information on new technology tools and resources.

“The discussions around education at the APEC meeting will help Alberta and Canada to learn from others and reflect on how we can better support the success of our students, the quality of our teachers and the delivery of education from a global perspective.” - Alberta Education Minister Jeff Johnson

With funding from the Office of Literacy and Essential Skills, CLLN is conducting a labour market study of literacy and essential skills (L/ES) workers. CLLN seeks to consolidate what is known about the L/ES workforce and determine the value of, and whether there is a need for, occupational standards and/or credentials.

CUPE has been active in literacy work for over a decade. A right for all, literacy helps workers succeed on the job and in life, and it can be a critical foundation for further training and education.

While humour can be used to great effect in the workplace, be cautious about flexing your funny bone during the application process. It's okay to show some personality in your resume and cover letter, but don't go overboard. Attempts at humour don't always translate on paper.

The award recognizes outstanding achievement in developing and implementing a technology initiative that contributes to the advancement of adult literacy and essential skills. Specifically, the product, project or service should promote, support and/or facilitate knowledge exchange within the adult literacy community.

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.

“We cannot hope to have a skilled workforce and a strong economy when 43 per cent of the population does not have basic literacy and essential skills,” said Lindsay Kennedy, president and CEO of CLLN. “Skills development is a vital part of Canada’s economic strength and a national literacy and essential skills strategy must be the foundation for a productive workforce.”