Nunavut and NWT stakeholders with direct experience with workplace and workforce literacy spoke of it highly. Most programs have ended. People described classes such as Inuktitut as a second language, on/or off-site general training in reading and understanding documents, and training to understand documents specific to the workplace such as safety manuals or human resources policies.

A small number of workplace literacy programs still exist, including the City of Iqaluit’s program where workers have special classes and tutoring at Nunavut Arctic College campus. Less official programs are more common: employers provide training during working hours to help workers read and understand documents – often a necessity so workers can read and follow instructions, policies or client requests.

BHP Billiton and Diavik Mines each developed and implemented their own successful workplace literacy programs. BHP has a workplace learning program in-house and on-site. Diavik has two initiatives: community-based training to upgrade skills of local people and skills upgrading programs for the workers. Diavik noted that people that started with the community-based training initiative generally have done better in the workplace: fit in better and work well with co-workers.

The main factors for effective workplace and workforce literacy, based on BHP and Diavik experiences:

• Maintain credibility and ensure the company sees the training as adding business value. Focus on what is essential for workplace development to meet the company’s business and safety needs.
• Provide release time to participate. Neither company has an official policy.
• Basic literacy or essential skills programs are not common in most workplaces. Companies may need to create the program from scratch and continuously adapt it to meet changing needs.
• People feel a stigma around low literacy skills. Depending on the situation, people may be reluctant to participate and fear lack of confidentiality.
• Two-week work rotation means workers have limited time with adult educators on site. Need to ensure workers have support in their home community.
• How to balance the training needs of workers and the needs of the company and the workplace.
• The program can accept only so many workers at one time because of available adult education staff and the two-week rotational work schedule.
• Build relationships and partnerships – college, corporate partners, government, communities.

Challenges and gaps include having to develop assessment tools for workers with low literacy skills as-needed and limited opportunities for people in small, isolated communities and for non-classroom workforce programs.