National Adult Literacy Database

Rona Ambrose, Minister of Public Works and Government Services and Minister for Status of Women, has highlighted the Government of Canada's commitment to increasing the role women play in non-traditional occupations. "Empowering more women to succeed in non-traditional careers makes sense for Canadian women and Canada's economy," said Minister Ambrose.

Northern Ontario and the Greater Toronto Area will be hubs of construction activity over the next few years, drawing in workers from outside Ontario's regions to meet the growing demand for skilled trades. A newly released labour market forecast from the Construction Sector Council says requirements diverge across Ontario, depending on the timing and scale of major projects, but that overall, the industry may need to recruit about 40,000 workers from outside the province.

Human resources directors at leading U.S. companies told a 2004 survey that up to a third of their employees could not write properly. But can HR directors write? -- Aïda Alaka, a U.S. law professor, wrote in a 2010 article in the Journal of Legal Education: “Many of my brightest students have, by their own admission, no grasp of the rules governing writing.”

The provincial government is partnering with the Learning Disabilities Association of New Brunswick to help apprentices with learning disabilities in their training. Apprentices now have access through the association to additional assistive technology to support their learning.

Nova Scotians are encouraged to recognize people for their contributions to literacy and learning through the Council of the Federation Literacy Award. The deadline for nominations is Monday, April 22.

"Newfoundland and Labrador is facing very real challenges related to our population and demographics in the coming years. In fact by 2020 we will need 70,000 skilled people to ensure we can take maximum advantage of the economic opportunities before us. Through our recently announced Population Growth Strategy, we will build on the work of the Office of Immigration and Multiculturalism and keep attracting new Canadians as part of our plan to address these challenges." -- Joan Shea, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills

Laubach Literacy Ontario's 2013 conference titled "Looking Ahead" is being hosted by the North Bay Literacy Council in celebration of its 35th anniversary. Location will be Nipissing University in North Bay, Ontario, June 21-23, 2013. The organization is looking for presenters to provide workshops on Saturday, June 22. The deadline for submissions is April 18, 2013.

Internationally renowned commentator on global affairs, CNN's Dr. Fareed Zakaria, who delivered the keynote address, said of the conference: "I think having a meeting like this ... to begin this process of really transforming education for the future so that it becomes something that is as innovative and as forward looking and as dynamic as so many of the other aspects of society going forward, is a tremendous advantage."

Some of the world’s most accomplished and promising minds working in diverse scientific disciplines will receive significant support from the federal government, through the Canada Research Chairs program, to pursue world-class research at post-secondary institutions across Canada.

The survey provides LES workers with a unique opportunity to speak about their own experience and reality as a member of that workforce. It is part of a larger study that will allow CLLN to provide a picture of the demographics of Literacy and Essential Skills practitioners as well as what kinds of work they do, where they do it and how they do it.

The Quebec Association for Lifelong Learning (QALL) will recognize The Centre for Literacy's Executive Director Linda Shohet and two other Quebec adult educators at its 2nd Annual Champions of Lifelong Learning Gala on March 22, 2013. QALL is an English-language association that supports those who support learners. Linda is a former Board member and a co-founder of the National Adult Literacy Database (NALD).

Canadian employers expect the hiring climate to remain steady for the second quarter of 2013, with employers in the transportation and public utilities sector reporting the strongest job prospects, according to the latest results of the Manpower Employment Outlook Survey.

The Native Women's Resource Centre of Toronto (NWRCT) is hosting the Minaake Awards, Toronto's first Aboriginal Women and Youth Community Achievement Awards, on April 10, 2013. NWRCT is an award-winning charity that offers life-enhancing resources, cultural ceremonies and teachings, and skill development programs to Aboriginal women and their children.

The ESL Literacy Network invites you to participate in its upcoming online workshop series: Using the ESL Literacy Readers. This two-week online workshop is an opportunity to learn, share ideas and connect with other ESL literacy practitioners.

Help inform and shape thinking around policy, practice and research as The Centre for Literacy prepares for PIAAC. The Summer Institute will examine and compare the learning from IALS and ALL across Canada and other countries, and explore how we can make most effective use of soon-to-be released PIAAC results. We will look at the new segments – problem-solving in technology-rich environments and the reading components – and at the implications of changes in levels and cut-off.