National Adult Literacy Database

Apprenticeships in the skilled trades are essential to the success of every journeyperson - an individual who completes the combined education requirements and work experience - embarking on their often highly lucrative careers, says Jack Graham, academic chair of the electrical trades at SAIT.

As the struggle for employers to attract workers with the right skills grows, employees are feeling the pressure mount when it comes to their skills requirements and work responsibilities.

Approximately one of three (36 per cent) Canadian workers is seriously considering leaving their organization at the present time, up sharply from 26 per cent in 2006. Meanwhile, another 22 per cent are indifferent about leaving but are increasingly dissatisfied with their employers and yield the lowest scores on key measures of engagement.

The Assembly of First Nations has released a one-year status report on the national Call to Action on First Nation education, showcasing progress and partnerships in working toward fairness in education for First Nations and encouraging others to join the effort.

An Edmonton consultant’s international initiative will pair countries to build social infrastructure. Literacy Without Borders will also devote time and resources to preserving and building indigenous languages, many of which are on the verge of extinction.

Canada’s relatively low number of people with advanced qualifications, such as PhDs, could be contributing to its failing grade on innovation, according to The Conference Board of Canada’s latest “How Canada Performs” analysis.

The face of the non-profit sector is getting younger as the baby boomer population retires but there’s also a new effort under way to make sure it gets more diverse as the workforce is renewed.

Increasing optimism about the Canadian labour market among hiring managers and job seekers is not expected to let up anytime soon, with Calgary and other Prairie cities leading the way in job creation and economic growth over the rest of the year, according to several reports.

As summer vacation approaches for school-age children, thoughts for some people veer toward year-round schooling. This educational notion is slowly gaining traction all over North America. In Canada, about 100 schools have modified calendars, shrinking the summer holiday to five weeks.

This is an important resource for a key demographic since more and more baby boomers are deciding to stay in the workforce for longer than they had initially planned, and many over the age of 55, particularly women, are returning to work in greater numbers.

Canadian CEOs differ from their global counterparts on their focus on tapping into the supply of older workers approaching retirement age. In fact, a new PwC report found 60 per cent of Canadian CEOs plan to increasingly recruit and retain older employees, compared to just 42 per cent globally.

A new report from AlphaPlus suggests that with the help of cloud computing, the future of cyberspace for adult literacy will see a proliferation of new and easily accessible literacy tools such as smartphone applications to help read signs and turn text into voice.

Immigrants landing in Calgary are confused by the dominance of English in that city, and express puzzlement that they don't hear much French spoken on the street or in buses. They wonder, under those circumstances, why Canada calls itself bilingual.

New research shows that bilingualism assists the brain in its ability to focus and can stave off the negative effects of Alzheimer's disease in old age.

Decoda will be involved in the full literacy continuum – from early childhood to family, adult, workplace and emerging literacy. It will use literacy as a key strategy to help solve fundamental societal issues, as well as business and industry challenges. Decoda brings together the work, experience and expertise of two previous literacy organizations: Literacy BC and 2010 Legacies Now.