National Adult Literacy Database

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.

We invite you to send us information about events you may be hosting in your community or projects you may be working on to mark the occasion on or around September 8, 2012.

Employment growth in the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) is expected to strengthen rapidly through 2016, with the addition of about 12,000 new jobs as shipbuilding activity ramps up, according to a new report

Social finance is an approach to investment or managing money that aims to deliver social and/or environmental benefits. Social finance models are being widely explored as potential new sources of funding to address social/environmental issues. Since these investments must produce both a social and a financial return, proponents assume that social finance approaches are more likely to generate innovative practices and better performance by funding recipients.

"The financial support from the Government of Canada is paramount in promoting Aboriginal women into positions of authority and decision making," said Cheryl Maloney, president of the Nova Scotia Native Women's Association. "Often barriers prohibit Aboriginal women from getting positions within their fields of expertise, or opportunities are not fully explored."

One organization that has been promoting literacy and learning among its members, for over a decade, is the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE). CUPE released a new video earlier this year titled ‘Why is CUPE involved with literacy work?’

"I have no trouble remembering my first class with Frontier College: in an old railway box car, with five or six tired, but expectant faces looking up at a green, cloth “blackboard” tacked to the wall, where some English idioms and their Portuguese equivalents were chalked up in columns. My education began that evening. It’s still going on. Thank you, Frontier College. You gave me my teaching life." -- Colin Brzezicki

Workers affected by the Bowater closure in Queens County, Nova Scotia, are getting career specialists to help them train and find new employment.

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.

A career coach says victims of workplace bullying can't be afraid to complain to the company or even to take legal action. You need to stand up for yourself, and you must do it immediately. You should begin by documenting the instances of the behaviour that you feel is bullying in as much detail as possible.

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.

The third annual Essential Skills Day will take place September 21, 2012, to raise awareness of the nine essential skills as defined by the Government of Canada and the importance of training in the workplace.

Business owners in Alberta (73.3) and Saskatchewan (72.5) have collectively been the most optimistic in Canada for 11 consecutive months, while entrepreneurs in Manitoba (65.9), New Brunswick (65.7) and British Columbia (65.6) are comfortably above the national average, and those in Newfoundland and Labrador (61.3) are close to average.

Jayne Hunter, who has a master's degree in adult education with a focus on adult literacy, began her career with Literacy Nova Scotia in 2003 as a learner co-ordinator. She has held several positions within the organization including most recently the director of programs.