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Year-to-year analysis of labour force shows positive numbers trend

Compared to 12 months earlier, employment in Canada was up by 121,000 (+0.7%), with the bulk of the increase occurring in the first half of the period, according to the new Labour Force Survey results from Statistics Canada.
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“Change is everywhere in today’s workplace,” says Bill Stirling, CEO of the National Adult Literacy Database. “New technologies, global competitors, new markets and changing standards or certifications mean that workers today are constantly dealing with change. They have to be continuous learners and problem solvers.”
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Canada faces labour shortage in growing health information field

Lori MacMullin, president of the Centre for Distance Education (CD-ED), an accredited national online distance learning college with headquarters in Nova Scotia, says "Electronic Health Information Systems are where the world is heading, and there's a real need in Canada for professionals in this area."
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Mind the gap: No 'people skills,' no job

There are three components to the problem of labour shortages. The first two – an aging and shrinking work force, and a knowledge-skills shortage – have been well documented. But the third is a shortage of the essential skills required in any job.
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Call for nominations: Dr. Alan Middleton Workplace Literacy, Learning Award

This national award, which made its debut in 2010, recognizes an individual for his/her outstanding achievement towards increasing workplace literacy and essential skills in the community.
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International Women's Day - March 8 - A Canadian perspective

In rural and remote areas of Canada, women make up approximately 45 per cent of the labour force, but significant gaps still exist between women and men in labour force participation rates, employment rates and income. This year's theme for International Women's Day and International Women's Week celebrates women's roles in the economic prosperity of rural, remote and Northern regions.
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New look for CLLN website

The Canadian Literacy and Learning Network (CLLN), a non-profit charitable organization, represents literacy coalitions, organizations and individuals in every province and territory. CLLN shares knowledge, engages partners and stakeholders, and builds awareness to advance literacy and learning across Canada.
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Digital skills required: All others need not apply

From the stockroom to the executive suite everyone is impacted by the need to constantly improve his or her digital technology skills. But sadly it’s the workers at the lowest levels, the ones who can least afford it, who suffer most and are the hardest hit by these changes.
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Call for concept papers from Office of Literacy and Essential Skills (OLES)

The Office of Literacy and Essential Skills (OLES) has launched a Call for Concepts 2012 with a goal of addressing critical research gaps in adult literacy and essential skills. The closing date is April 5, 2012.
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Educational Attainment and Employment: Canada in an International Context (PDF)

The Canadian Education Statistics Council (CESC), a partnership between the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC) and Statistics Canada, has just published a new fact sheet on educational attainment and employment rates at the pan-Canadian and provincial and territorial levels. The fact sheet also includes data for 12 OECD countries that are of key comparative interest for Canada.
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For many internationally trained professionals, the cost of licensing exams, training and skills upgrading can present a significant barrier to credential recognition. The Foreign Credential Recognition Loans Pilot will develop and test innovative projects that provide financial assistance to internationally trained professionals to lessen some of these financial burdens.
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Federal government to help young women gain community leadership experience

The Federation of Canadian Municipalities is receiving $199,905 from the Government of Canada for an 18-month project to provide mentorship to young women in their leadership roles.
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Most Canadians expect to work in some capacity past age 66, survey says

Most Canadians expect to work past the age of 66 — and the majority of those workers say it will be because they need to, not because they want to, a new survey suggests.
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Family Day reminds Canadian workers to strive for healthy work/life balance

As most workers in Ontario, Alberta and Saskatchewan enjoyed the Family Day holiday, Randstad Canada, the country's leader for staffing, recruitment and HR Services, reinforced the importance of remembering that optimum employee contribution comes from a balance of performance and sufficient rest.
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Four realities to help you get ahead in your career

With every new year, countless individuals search for differentiating methods to demonstrate why they alone deserve a position or raise. Those who are successful have recognized the new reality of today’s career growth and job search.
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How to approach a bad performance review

Receiving negative feedback during a performance review is never a pleasant experience. But it's important to view a bad performance review in a positive way - as a wake-up call, not a career-ender.
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Job research made easier with Working in Canada web tool

Use the Working in Canada Web tool to learn about job opportunities, wages, skills requirements, and more. It’s a handy tool for both job searchers and employers alike.
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Five ways to be more positive at work

To flourish at work, employees need to concentrate on their positive states when they experience them. Doing so, can boost worker immune systems and increase energy levels, says a registered psychologist. If you are consistently miserable, she says it is probably time to move on.
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Aboriginal workers: Integral to Canada’s ongoing competitiveness, performance

The Conference Board of Canada is conducting a study to determine what underlying challenges businesses face in recruiting and retaining Métis, Inuit and First Nations workers. The research findings will help Aboriginal communities, businesses, educators and other stakeholders better understand the challenges and how to overcome them.
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Aboriginal Teacher Education Award Program new to British Columbia

The Aboriginal Teacher Education Award is in addition to the $10-million endowment fund established in 2007, as part of the British Columbia's strategy to improve access to post-secondary education for Aboriginal students.
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Canadian firms lag behind in area of skills training

Canadian employers slipped to 20th place in terms of the priority employers place on employee skills training in a recent ranking. Less than 30 per cent of adult workers aged 25-64 received job-related education and training in Canada, compared with 45 per cent in the U.S., show data from Industry Canada and Statistics Canada.
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Most Canadian employees expect to work beyond retirement age: survey

According to the results of Randstad's latest Global Workmonitor, surveying employees in 29 countries around the world, over half of Canadian employees expect to keep working beyond their official retirement age. Interestingly enough, nearly half of the respondents say they're happy about it.
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Employers connect to discuss mental health issues in the workplace

"Mental health does not carry the stigma that it once did, but our research shows that that there is definite evidence of stigma in the workplace," says Paula Allen, VP Health Solutions & Practice Leader, Consulting, Morneau Shepell. "There are several important drivers for organizations to address this issue strategically, and with practical and meaningful steps. We are urging employers to get involved in the discussion regarding how."
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Behind the jobs numbers: Employment trends to watch

Young people are still having a tough time finding work -- and if anything, their situation has worsened. At the same time, women aged 55 and over continue to land jobs. This group has seen the biggest percentage gains in job growth of any demographic group over the past year.
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Government of Canada launches Canada Summer Jobs 2012

The Government of Canada has officially launched Canada Summer Jobs 2012, creating thousands of job opportunities for students.
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Employment was virtually unchanged in January, and the unemployment rate edged up 0.1 percentage points to 7.6% as more people searched for work. Compared with 12 months earlier, employment rose by 129,000 (+0.7%), with most of the growth occurring in the first six months of this period.
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B.C. jobs plan failing northern communities: union officials

With an unemployment rate in northern B.C. sitting at 11.5 per cent and layoffs looming at northern colleges, the B.C. government's vaunted BC Jobs Plan is failing northern communities, unions representing post-secondary workers say.
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An occupational hazard: Not embracing continuous learning

An AlphaPlus research paper titled "What is in a technology competency" details the development work undertaken to define a digital technology competency as an aid to stakeholders in adult literacy education and employment education. In reviewing how tasks apply to the digital technology competency, researchers discovered that many technology tasks had connections to other competencies.
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Feature of the Month: Document looks at literacy and development of francophone minority communities

Not all francophone minority communities carry the same weight or have the same institutional support. “On the Acadian peninsula of New Brunswick and in certain regions of Ontario, people can easily obtain services in French. They have institutional support whereas in British Columbia it takes people a long time to obtain services in French. It is important to make that distinction,” says Yvon Laberge, a member of the NALD Board of Directors.
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Summer Institute 2012 will consolidate the learning from the last three years, examine several models of WLES that have been effective in specific contexts and ask how and why they worked, and why so few transfer well in other settings. Early registration is recommended.
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