National Adult Literacy Database

In seven weeks, plain language advocates from around the globe will meet in Vancouver, B.C., at the Plain Language Association International (PLAIN) 20th anniversary Conference. Government, business, education, literacy, legal and finance sectors will be represented. Speakers from 15 countries will address issues such as user-testing, plain language project management, technology, mobile communications, globalization and the future of plain language.

Reporting to The Centre for Literacy's executive director, the senior project officer is responsible for the development, delivery and sustainability of program activities (local, regional and national), initiatives and projects related to adult basic education and skills development in diverse work and social contexts.

This special event will help Literacy Partners of Manitoba continue to provide literacy and essential skills connections for adult learners, youth and immigrants/new Manitobans across the province.

Good career coaches look at cultivating interview skills from both the perspective of the interviewee and the interviewer. If you're the applicant, be creative with your answers and don't take the easy way out. If you're conducting the interview, ask better questions to avoid getting generic answers.

Canadian employees can expect an average salary increase of 2.6% in 2014, according to a national survey of public and private sector employers conducted by Hay Group. The projected increase is lower than the projection for 2013 (at 2.9 %) and continues to be relatively close to projected increases of 2.8% for American employees. U.S. average projections are also lower for 2014 than they were a year ago.

Stephen Harper unveiled a $5.6-million federal grant to build a mining innovation centre in Yukon that will teach northern Canadians the skills needed to fill jobs in the territory’s resource industry. ‎‎The prime minister announced the funds during a stop in Whitehorse on the second day of his 2013 summer tour of northern Canada.

Canada's Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander has officially welcomed one of the first permanent residents under the new Federal Skilled Trades Program: Eric Byrne, originally from Ireland. Employment and Social Development Minister Jason Kenney has also welcomed another successful applicant of the program: Paul Lyttle, a new permanent resident of Canada.

At the Annual General Meeting of the Canadian Federation of Students-Ontario, over 100 student representatives from 30 students' unions met with Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities Brad Duguid to discuss reducing tuition fees and improving the quality of Ontario colleges and universities.

The majority of post-secondary students (64 per cent) plan to live away from home while attending school this fall, despite expecting the cost to be about 50 per cent higher than those living at home, according to the 2013 RBC Student Finances Poll. Of those students living away, more than eight-in-10 (83 per cent) are confident in their ability to manage their finances.

Aboriginal people in Northern Ontario will be better equipped to find fulfilling, long-term employment, as a result of training provided through a project funded by the Government of Canada.

To get a grip during a stressful moment, we need strategies that put the perceived threat back into its cage and deliberately bring our higher thinking abilities back online. Here are six strategies to help you “tame your brain.”

International students studying in Canada pay less in student fees than their counterparts studying in other top education markets around the world, according to new research from HSBC. Australia is the most expensive country for overseas students to study in, followed by the US, the UAE and the United Kingdom.

Led by declines among youth, employment decreased by 39,000 in July, and the unemployment rate rose 0.1 percentage points to 7.2%. With this decrease, employment gains have averaged 11,000 per month over the past six months, slower than the average of 27,000 observed during the preceding six-month period.

On August 24, 2013, PGI NB 2013 will wrap up with the Family Festival for Literacy “Day of Discovery,” a literacy festival for families that includes games, activities and entertainment highlighting the many aspects of literacy.

The Office of Literacy and Essential Skills (OLES) is a centre of expertise with a workplace focus. In this issue, you'll find articles concerning a website for helping older Canadians get jobs; a section on the OLES website about tools, assessments, and training support; case studies on integrating ES for success, among others.