National Adult Literacy Database

In Canada, education information is collected in different ways, using different definitions and diverse schedules in various parts of the country. It is therefore often not comparable from one province to another, and sometimes not even within a province. In such a vacuum, how can learners and skilled people be as mobile and effective as they would wish?

Education emerged as an issue of vital importance to the future of the North at Canada’s North Beyond 2011 conference, organized by The Conference Board of Canada. Paul Martin, former prime minister, said that the education of Aboriginal youth is more than an economic issue – it is the single most important moral issue that Canada faces as a country.

The Build Your Career with Essential Skills website connects people with the tools and resources they need to be successful at work – including 50 profiles recently updated by HRSDC, online assessments and customized test result reports. It also features instant customized learning plans that link the learner to classroom-based upgrading in their local area and free online resources.

If you were asked to quickly jot down a grocery list, would you type it into your smartphone? Or print it? Or use cursive writing? Assuming you’re a fan of pen/paper, logic would dictate you’d use the fastest, easiest method possible. That’s cursive. It flows from letter to letter, it bounces from word to word, it dances from thought to thought.

Based on a recent board assessment and organizational strategic review, SLN seeks nominations from individuals with the following areas of expertise and experience: workplace literacy and essential skills, workforce literacy and essential skills, Aboriginal literacy, and English as an Additional Language (EAL).

All workplace meetings are good in theory but often these and countless other conference room characters can derail a gathering. This article points out seven of the biggest meeting offenders, along with advice you can use to avoid becoming one yourself.

By fusing classroom rigor with workplace know-how, these colleges fix a failing of high schools and universities in Japan — and in the United States. It’s called the “skills gap,” and it’s the bitter fruit of educational systems in both countries that aspire to make college accessible for all — but that often produce students who, if they do get a degree, focus too narrowly on abstractions, while neglecting the hands-on competence necessary for landing jobs that pay middle-class wages.

"Check out web comments on various news sites from people responding to things they've read. Soon you'll find those whose own words reveal they've missed the point, have imposed a ludicrous interpretation on unambiguous sentences and often that they've missed or chosen to ignore the most crucial portion of what they've read."

A good rule of thumb, says the Eye on Education blog, is that 50 per cent of students' time in a writer's workshop is spent doing independent writing. The other 50 per cent is used for mini-lessons, try-its and sharing.

The National Adult Literacy Database (NALD) is co-hosting this event in Moncton on October 26, 2011. By attending this session, you will benefit from new insight into practical and effective workplace learning practices tailored to the needs of small to medium-sized employers. The Centre for Workplace Skills will profile its recent project titled Investing in Skills: Effective Work-related Learning in SMEs.

“Skype ... re-establishes the professional side of the interview,” explains E. A. Clarke, an Ottawa-based partner with StoneWood Group Inc. “It becomes a dedicated hour. People dress for it, they prepare for it.”

"The Tri-Mentoring Program at Ryerson University is one of only two programs in Canada committed to integrating culturally and linguistically diverse students into a university and professional setting," says Kabir Abdurrahman, program coordinator.

On October 12, National Students' Day, students took the opportunity to call on all levels of government in Canada to make post-secondary education accessible to everyone, regardless of their economic circumstances.

The president and chief executive officer of CLLN will lead in consolidating, enhancing and promoting the strengths of the organization in addition to its network, the provincial and territorial coalitions and its partners. Applications must be submitted by October 24, 2011.

"The reality of Canada's labour market is that the unemployment rate in many key occupations is less than four per cent, even in the current economic climate," says Tony Meehan, publisher at Mediacorp. "The steady march of demographics is bringing many employers to the realization that they need to become more attractive places to work - not just to ensure future growth, but simply to maintain the operations they have now."