National Adult Literacy Database

Guy Ellis, associate dean of mechanical studies at BCIT, says shipbuilding and repair is a growing sector, especially given recent contracts awarded through the federal government's National Shipbuilding Procurement Strategy to Seaspan Marine in B.C. and Irving Shipbuilding in Nova Scotia.

It is clear that finding and using sources of sound financial information and advice and being able to manage one's own financial affairs effectively are more important than ever for Canadians. In recognition of these challenges, a number of organizations have joined together to raise awareness of the issues, to help find solutions, and to declare November 2012 as the second annual Financial Literacy Month in Canada.

Preparing students for their future begins in the classroom and is continually enhanced by many university services, including those offered by university career centres, which are showcased in a report released recently by the Council of Ontario Universities.

Almost two-thirds of Canadians are working more than 45 hours a week – 50 per cent more than two decades ago. Work weeks are more rigid, with flex-time arrangements dropping by a third in the past 10 years. To top it off, only 23 per cent of working Canadians are highly satisfied with life. That’s half as many as in 1991.

Pearson Canada is helping students power up to learn with new iBooks textbooks. Three of Pearson's bestselling textbooks, re-imagined for the iPad and brought to life with engaging video, audio, assessment, interactive images and 3D animations, are now available in Canada.

Students, teachers and employers across the province are getting access to mobile training equipment and labs so they have the tools they need to prepare for the good jobs that are coming. The federal shipbuilding contracts alone will provide about 11,000 jobs and work for the next 30 years when the project hits its stride.

Enterprising Non-Profits will provide workshops, business plan support and grants to non-profits interested in starting new social enterprises. The Citizen’s Bridge pilot project expands BUILD’s (Building Urban Industries for Local Development) successful driver training program to over 20 referral partners and will provide support in obtaining proper identification and financial literacy training to help people who have challenges connecting to employment.

Young readers recorded the highest total of books read since 1997 and the second-highest total in the history of the summer reading club run by the New Brunswick Public Library Service. In addition, the program enrolled the highest number of readers in eight years.

The Chilliwack Learning Community Society is celebrating its Read While You Wait (Ladybug Book Bin) program with a new two-minute promotional video that describes how this early family literacy outreach program works.

The Confederation Centre Public Library's new Teen Space is a promising new feature that should benefit PEI young people and promote an interest in reading.

The Activity Calendar for Canadian Families 2013 includes more than 30 learning activities for parents to do with children up to five years of age. The content supports early language development, early numeracy, pre-reading and pre-writing skills. Adult ESL and adult literacy learners would also be able to use the calendar to improve their language skills.

York University has launched a bridging program for internationally educated human resources (HR) professionals to help skilled immigrants fill the gaps between their credentials and what is required to land a position in their profession in Canada.

Despite evidence that learning can have a positive impact on everyone's lives, it is a concern to NIACE that many older people are missing out on the benefits of learning. The latest figures from NIACE's 2012 Adult Participation in Learning Survey show that only 16 per cent of those aged 65-74 and seven per cent of those aged 75+ regard themselves as learners.

Quebec must develop a clear strategy to make it a destination of choice for international students, if it wants to increase its capacity for productivity and innovation. That is the message Heather Munroe-Blum, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of McGill University, delivered at a recent conference of the Conseil des relations internationales de Montréal.

The biggest hurdle to establishing a culture of reading in South Africa is neither access nor infrastructure. What seems to be the main challenge is disrupting the self-perpetuating culture of not reading by pressing for new habits, even before children get to school.