National Adult Literacy Database

The National Adult Literacy Database (NALD) takes this opportunity to extend its congratulations and best wishes to individuals in the field of literacy and essential skills who were recently chosen to receive Queen Elizabeth II’s Diamond Jubilee Medal.

Education Minister Russ Marchuk joined representatives from the North Central Family Centre to announce funding through the SaskSmart Innovations Fund (SSIF). In total, $482,469 has been allocated to seven different community partnerships to provide literacy services.

Today the Read All About Lit blog at Decoda is launching a new feature: Tech Tuesday. Every Tuesday, they will feature a library or online resource that discusses technology in the context of literacy.

Like most OECD countries, a mere fraction of Canadian university students study abroad, seemingly content to have the world come to us. The situation is a bit of puzzle. For all the discussion of why we have difficulty attracting foreign students, we rarely wonder why “our” students seem so reluctant to leave home. -- Commentary, The Globe and Mail

The latest research on the attitudes of young people who are not in education, employment or training (NEET) shows that rather than a lack of enthusiasm for learning and work, almost half of those interviewed have aspirations to progress in life through learning.

Great messaging and a spirit of Canada-wide community are coming out of preparations for the I DO BUSINESS National Summit & Tradeshow ̶ Success for Aboriginal Entrepreneurs. The event, set for March 4-6, 2013, in Toronto, is being hosted by the Ontario Native Literacy Coalition.

Employers can now apply for Canada Summer Jobs funding which will create thousands of job opportunities for students across the country, said Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development. Funding is available to not-for-profit organizations, public-sector employers and small businesses.

“Over the past number of years, the Provincial Government has introduced a number of initiatives to support families, schools, and communities to access enhanced literacy resources and programming,” said Education Minister Clyde Jackman. “That work continues, as we are now partnering with public libraries to develop and deliver enhanced early childhood literacy programs and resources in a variety of settings, including libraries, schools, family resource centres and regulated child care settings.”

Premier Greg Selinger's donation of books about Manitoba and Canada, on behalf of the province, kick starts the latest phase of a partnership involving the University of Winnipeg, World Literacy Canada, Ventura Custom Homes and the village of Bhanohar to support children’s literacy and young women’s education in India.

The Canada Mining Innovation Council will once again bring together senior decision makers, experts and leaders from the mining industry, academia and government at its second annual Signature Event to be held on February 12, 2013, at the Delta Chelsea Hotel in Toronto.

From the pulp-and-paper sector to mining and construction, business in British Columbia is relying on a shrinking pool of workers from across Canada and around the world to meet the need for skilled labour. But the crisis hasn’t even started, according to a new report from B.C.’s research universities.

FREDERICTON, N.B. - The National Adult Literacy Database (NALD) has issued a call for nominations for its fourth annual NALD Innovative Technology Award. NALD established the award in 2010 to bring greater visibility to an exemplary or innovative technology product, project or service that benefits the field of adult literacy and essential skills.

"Hiring in Canada is expected to outpace last year as employers focus on growing their businesses and meeting greater market demand," said Brent Rasmussen, President of CareerBuilder North America. "While employers remain watchful over factors impacting the global economy, we see more job opportunities opening up in everything from health care and information technology to trucking and manufacturing."

In order to raise awareness of the importance of the UNESCO Guidelines on the Recognition, Validation and Accreditation (RVA) of the Outcomes of the Non-formal and Informal Learning, coordinators of the Back to Work project invited UIL to participate in the international conference titled The Role of Validation of Competencies in Professional Counselling of Adults, held in Greece in December.

This year's Family Literacy Day celebration (January 27) came just weeks after very encouraging news about literacy and families in Canada. Results from the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study show that Canadian parents have one of the highest levels of involvement in literacy-related activities with their preschool-age children. "The results ... confirm that Canadian parents are doing an excellent job in fostering a culture of literacy in the home," said Ramona Jennex, Chair of CMEC and Nova Scotia's Minister of Education.