Posted: May 1, 2013 |

Categories: Essential skills, Learning
“Throughout its long history, the literacy and essential skills field has continually evolved and adapted in response to the changing needs of adults. This timeline captures some of the important people, events, initiatives and other influences that have helped shape the literacy and essential skills field in Canada over the past 200 years.” -- Essential Skills Ontario
Posted: August 1, 2012 |

Category: Learning
The London 2012 Olympics and Paralympic Games offer an excellent opportunity for parents and children to cheer on their favourite athletes while practising literacy skills.
Posted: August 1, 2012 |

Categories: Essential skills, Learning
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?’
Posted: July 31, 2012 |

Category: Essential skills
After nearly 20 years of operation, the Nunavut Implementation Training Committee (NITC) closed its doors for the last time in the spring. The organization provided scholarships, workshops, and employment training for Inuit in Nunavut.
Posted: July 31, 2012 |

Category: Essential skills
An overwhelming majority of Canadians (94 per cent) believe that small businesses play a critical role in the growth of the economy and almost nine-in-10 (88 per cent) view them as vital job creators, according to an RBC/Ipsos Reid survey.
Posted: July 30, 2012 |

Category: Learning
"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
Posted: July 24, 2012 |

Category: Learning
"On behalf of all premiers, I congratulate the 2012 recipients of the Council of the Federation Literacy Award," said Darrell Dexter, Premier of Nova Scotia and Chair of the Council of the Federation. "The determination of literacy learners and the devotion of literacy advocates are an inspiration to all Canadians. The recipients of this award are all truly deserving of this recognition."
Posted: July 19, 2012 |

Categories: Essential skills, Learning
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.
Posted: July 18, 2012 |

Category: Essential skills
Consulting firm Towers Watson says it has found evidence that employers with a fully engaged workforce tend to have higher profit margins. The firm’s study covered some 32,000 employees, including 1,000 in Canada. It found that about two-thirds of the Canadian employees surveyed weren’t “fully engaged” in their work and felt frustrated by the level of support they receive.
Posted: July 17, 2012 |

Category: Essential skills
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.
Posted: July 16, 2012 |

Category: Learning
NALD will continue to provide web hosting on its servers free of charge for non-profit customers focused primarily on community or adult literacy and essential skills. However, we will no longer be undertaking design, redesign, development or maintenance of websites.
Posted: July 13, 2012 |

Category: Learning
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.
Posted: July 12, 2012 |

Category: Learning
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.
Posted: July 11, 2012 |

Category: Essential skills
Businesses that successfully hire and retain Aboriginal workers benefit in more ways than just finding qualified employees. Employing Aboriginal workers helps organizations build stronger connections and relationships within their local communities. Businesses become more diverse and inclusive when they tap into the talents of Aboriginal workers, and Aboriginal peoples who are successful in the workplace act as role models for others in their communities.
Posted: July 11, 2012 |

Category: Essential skills
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.
Posted: July 10, 2012 |

Category: Essential skills
The Globe and Mail newspaper conducted a survey of student readers, asking whether they thought their summer earnings would cover their expenses for the school year. Of more than 150 respondents, 87 per cent said they had found a summer job, and 13 per cent said they were unemployed.
Posted: July 9, 2012 |

Category: Essential skills
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.
Posted: July 9, 2012 |

Category: Learning
Twenty-first century learning was the defining theme of the Halifax meeting, where ministers exchanged information on a number of education-related topics.
Posted: July 9, 2012 |

Category: Essential skills
In June, employment was little changed for the second consecutive month and the unemployment rate edged down 0.1 percentage points to 7.2 per cent, as fewer people searched for work. Compared with 12 months earlier, employment increased 1.0 per cent or 181,000.
Posted: July 6, 2012 |

Categories: Essential skills, Learning
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.
Posted: July 4, 2012 |

Category: Learning
Students entering post-secondary school in the fall need to have their applications for financial assistance in shortly.
Posted: July 3, 2012 |

Category: Learning
Canada's ministers of education will be in Halifax, July 4–6, 2012, at the Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel, for the 100th meeting of the Council of Ministers of Education, Canada (CMEC), their long-standing intergovernmental body.
Posted: June 29, 2012 |

Category: Learning
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.
Posted: June 27, 2012 |

Category: Essential skills
The Centre de documentation sur l’éducation des adultes et la condition féminine (CDÉACF), located in Montreal, has won the NALD Innovative Technology Award for its new online repository: Compétencesessentielles.ca - 9 Compétences Essentielles pour apprendre, travailler et vivre.
Posted: June 22, 2012 |

Category: Essential skills
The Essential Skills Good Practice Guide from the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) was produced as a result of the Working with the Community project focusing on the development of Essential Skills (ES) tools and practices.
Posted: June 20, 2012 |

Category: Essential skills
"CUPE has a proud history of supporting our First Nations, Inuit and Métis members. Our National Aboriginal Council works to increase participation of Aboriginal peoples in our union, and promotes and defends the rights of Aboriginal workers in both our union and in the community." - Paul Moist, national president, and Charles Fleury, national secretary-treasurer
Posted: June 20, 2012 |

Category: Learning
There's no shortage of skilled trade jobs in an economy where the resource industry is booming and employers are looking for able-bodied individuals to do everything from equipment repair to electrical and carpentry work.
Posted: June 19, 2012 |

Category: Learning
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.
Posted: June 14, 2012 |

Category: Essential skills
Stacy Parker, executive vice-president of Randstad Canada, says job seekers should resist the temptation to take the summer off from job searching. "The summer season can be a prime hiring time for some employers. Many projects gear up in the fall, and employers want new people in place."
Posted: June 13, 2012 |

Category: Learning
"We are passionate about children's literacy and have been proud to support the TD Summer Reading Club for the past 17 years," said Frank McKenna, Deputy Chair, TD Bank Group. "Together with our partners at the Toronto Public Library and Library and Archives Canada we are thrilled to bring this program to more than 550,000 children once again this year."
Posted: June 12, 2012 |

Category: Essential skills
"This boost in the engineering and construction sector renders an undeniable need for experienced and talented professionals to power up the industry," says Mike Winterfield, president of Randstad Professionals. "But as the sector surges, skilled workers will become harder to find."