1) To all Stakeholders

Form a collaboration for essential skills, workplace and workforce literacy.

Develop a working partnership in each territory based on other collaboration models. Territorial governments take responsibility, play a coordinating role and identify sufficient long-term funding to support the collaboration and its work.

The collaboration must discuss and clearly identify what each partner will contribute, what each is responsible for and what role each plays. Potential stakeholders for the collaboration include the following:

• Territorial, federal and Aboriginal governments;
• Nunavut Arctic College and Aurora College;
• Employers – especially small and medium employers, business and non-profit employers;
• Instructors;
• Unions and labour organizations;
• Workers; and
• Literacy Councils and other social/cultural community-based groups.

2) To the Collaboration

Develop an essential skills strategy.

Identify basic values and principles on which to base the strategy, such as:

• Essential skills and literacy are vital elements of economic productivity, overall health and well-being, and social cohesion.
• Literacy concerns everyone – public and Aboriginal governments, social agencies, employers, communities, families and workers.
• Stakeholders cooperate and use best practices to develop and implement effective solutions.
• Programs target workers that most need workplace and workforce literacy programs, and ensure they have access to the programs they need, where and when they need them.

Decide what actions to carry out, including a schedule, funding and who is responsible. Possible action areas include the following:

• Carry out needs assessments. Customize skills profiles and assessment tools as needed. Consider how to measure and recognize prior learning.
• Develop curricula as needed. Use relevant materials directly from the workplace or from other areas of real life in the north. Workers can immediately apply what they learn to the job and other parts of their life.
• Provide flexible program options and ensure continuity.
• Consider different learning styles and use a mix of classroom and hands-on learning.
• Ensure workers have paid time off work for training. Encourage employers to develop formal policies. Provide other supports as needed such as child care elder care and transportation.
• Identify appropriate places to carry out programs. Use learning environments where people feel safe and inspired.
• Develop a communications plan to raise awareness and to provide information, advice and tools. Encourage employers to actively advocate a training culture and to find a champion. Encourage workers to participate and help overcome the stigma to low literacy skills.
• Identify long-term, stable funding.
• Monitor and evaluate the programs. Identify how different stakeholders benefit from workplace and workforce literacy: workers, government, families and communities, and employers.
• Study and understand the dynamics of the labour market – how the demand for labour and the supply interact within the real world for unemployed people. Include people involved with land-based activities.
• Share information and resources with others involved with workplace and workforce literacy.
• Link training with other labour bargaining topics such as working hours, changes in work organization, or human resource management.