Getting to Workplace Essential Skills

Current Issues and Future DirectionsDeveloped by Chris HarwoodCanadian Literacy and Learning Network – www.literacy.ca

Look to tHe Future

Companies need to look ahead, not just at what is

happening day-to-day. Budgets need to reflect

growing a business. There will be new markets to

exploit and new business opportunities. Innovation

is important and so are the workers who deliver.

People management is important.

Jayson Myers, President Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters

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MobILIzatIoN oF workers

4 Should be part of every company’s strategic plan

4 Workers need to be able to respond to change

4 Many workers are not ready to do this4 To respond quickly, workers need

Essential Skills – not just technical skills

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wHat Do esseNtIaL skILLs MeaN to eMpLoyers?

Anne Ramsey, Project Read Literacy Network, reported at the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Summit2009 that most employers she met had not heard of the HRSDC definition of Essential Skills.

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tHe NINe esseNtIaL skILLs

4 Reading Text

4 Document Use

4 Numeracy

4 Writing

4 Oral Communication

4 Working with Others

4 Continuous Learning

4 Thinking Skills

4 Computer Use

For more on essential skills go to hrsdc.gc.ca/essentialskills

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esseNtIaL skILLs

Essential Skills are:

4 a structured way of thinking about literacy

4 the foundation for learning all other skills

4 adaptable to all situations

Essential Skills help people to be more productiveand to more easily learn new tasks

Jobs need different skills and have varying complexity levels – essential skills recognize this

Literacy is the foundation of every Essential Skill

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IMportaNCe aND ratINg oF skILLs

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skILLs NeeDINg IMproveMeNt

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Canadian Manufacturers and exporters 2007-2008 annual Management Issues survey

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a HIDDeN probLeM…

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A few years ago, we introduced newtools in a firm of 550 employees. Theunion thought 30 or so employeeswould need assistance. An inquiry revealed that 178 employees experienceddifficulties, at different degrees.

Féderation des travailleurs et des travailleuses du Québec

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toDay’s CHaLLeNge

Workplaces are facing many challenges:

4 Need to compete in the global market

4 Need to increase productivity

4 In hard economic times it is difficult to find

money for training

4 It costs twice as much to train someone in a

small or medium sized enterprise

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skILLs IN CaNaDa

what the figures tell us

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LIteraCy LeveLs ForCaNaDIaN aDuLts

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Level 4/519.5%

Level 114.6%

Level 338.6%

Level 227.3%

Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (ALL) 2005

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skILLs we NeeD / skILLs we Have

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aCCeptaNCe oF skILLs

Many adults with low literacy skills believe theyhave good or averageliteracy skills.

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resuLts FroM Cars

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resuLts FroM Cars -speakINg

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resuLts FroM Cars - LIsteNINg

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resuLts FroM Cars -tHINkINg

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More FaCts …

The need to improve skills does not relate to onesector. For example:

4 About 50% of workers in wholesale, retail, hotel and restaurant industries score below level 3

4 58% of machinists are at level 1 and 2

More training occurs in large businesses.

Small and medium sized enterprises find itharder to deliver training.

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a Cost/beNeFIt aNaLysIs

4 Goal is to get everyone to Level 3 literacy – roughly equivalent to a high school diplomastandard (some people gain high school diplomas but don’t actually have skills at that level)

4 A 1% increase in average literacy scores results in a 1.5% permanent increase in GDP per capita

4 A 1% literacy increase results in a 2.5% increase in productivity

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eMpLoyers' INvestMeNt IN traININg

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probLeMs IN tHe workpLaCe

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If a business is experiencing these issues

4 high staff turnover,4 high absenteeism,4 low motivation and/or productivity,4 employees who resist change,4 on-the-job accidents and4 difficulty meeting business goals,

then employees may need to further develop their Essential Skills

DIreCt beNeFIts - eMpLoyers

Essential Skills training results in:

4 higher productivity and reduced error rates

4 improved health and safety

4 enhanced communication and teamwork

4 improved morale and retention

4 enhanced corporate image

Everyone benefits from a learning culture

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DIreCt beNeFIts - eMpLoyees

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Workers with good Essential Skills are:

4 better at their jobs

4 adaptable to new tasks

4 more likely to have skills for advancement

4 more self-confident

4 motivated to succeed

tHe workForCe

Nothing is more important to a company’s success than its people

4 They need Essential Skills training4 Apprenticeship programs are often taught

by people with technical skills who are not trained or equipped to focus on Essential Skills

4 People who have taken training, e.g. to get alicence, don’t always see the need to do more

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CoNCLusIoNs – so Far…

4 A skilled workforce – level 3 in order to respond tochange and innovation

4 Training focus has been on management ( it needs to shift to basic skills with a context, e.g. health and safety)

4 Employers need to know what Essential Skills are

4 Employers need to know the benefits of increasedES –Training is twice as expensive for SMEs

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QuestIoNs – so Far

4 Are literacy programs working/ready to work with employees or potential employees on ES?

4 Should literacy programs be better able to deal with approaches from employers?

4 Should literacy programs be more proactive in working with industry to set up programs?

4 Can literacy programs do anything to offset costs for SMEs?

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esseNtIaL skILLs websIte

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4 You can order hard copies of resources

4 URL is: http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/LES/index.shtml

4 Check out the resources.

4 Give feedback

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seeINg tHe LIgHt - exaMpLes

Investment in essentialskills training

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CaNaDIaN truCkINg / CppI

4 Looked at records over 7 years

4 Discovered a strong correlation between safety and lack of reading, document use and numeracy

4 58% of safety issues were caused by people who did not meet level 3 skills in reading

4 49% of safety issues were caused by people who did not meet level 3 skills in document use

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Cars

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CARS work with employees who look after cars oncethey have been sold.

They needed to find solutions that work to overcomethe idea that a “licence” is all that is needed

CARS-On-Demand

4 library of online courses for the after market

CARSability

4 question bank containing several hundred questions to help employees work through workplace tasks

22,286 user accounts in 2008

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robINsoN paperboarD paCkagINg

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Discovered employees were asking co-workers for helpwhen it was all in the manual:

4 Hired an ESL teacher – matched hours

4 Used health and safety procedures as basis for curriculum

Result:

4 Time lost due to accidents dropped by 70%

4 Product quality up by 92%

4 Absenteeism down by 54%

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Metro toroNto CoNveNtIoN CeNtreStaff diverse – ethnically and age – not much formaleducation (700 – 800 events per year)

CEO recognizes value of training for whole person:

4 lowers health and safety risks, better able to followdirections and read contracts, better customer service

4 employees are generally happier

4 saves management time – less performance relatedissues to be addressed

4 50% own time, 50% employer, TDSB pays instructors

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CoNFereNCe boarD oFCaNaDa, 2008

4 Employers can reduce accidents, injuries and downtime, as well as minimize insurance premiums, claims and fines associated with workers’ compensation boards.

4 There is an inverse relationship between investment in literacy skills and industries requiring a high level of health and safety.

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HeaLtH aND saFety – a brIDge

From what we have seen so far, Health and

Safety seems a goodplace to start

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perForMaNCe Issues

Some possible examples:

4Common mistakes

4Unfinished tasks

4Safety incidents

4Poor customer service

4Not being on time or absenteeism

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CHaraCterIstICs oF aNeFFeCtIve prograM

4 Knowledge of workplace cultures and functions

4 Ability to work with all levels in the workplace

4 Understanding of business processes

4 Good listening and problem-solving skills

4 Ability to take action based on information

4 Knowledge of adult learning principles

4 Flexibility to make changes

4 An evaluation process

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IDeNtIFy traININg objeCtIves

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4 improve productivity

4 reduce errors

4 improve customer

service

4 empower employees

4 improve

communication

4 improve teamwork

4 improve safety

4 reduce absenteeism

4 improve ability to

implement change

4 reduce turnover

4 other…

exIstINg traININg - saFety

Warning Signs:

4 What does this poster mean to you?Procedures / Tasks:

4 Provide scenarios of situations that employees might encounter

4 Have them use problem solving steps4 Have them role play scenarios4 Have them write instructions in their

own words

4 Have them summarize what they have learned

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QuestIoNs

4 How do we explain ES to employers?

4 Should we explain ES to learners? If so, how?

4 How can we break down negative attitudes to upgrading literacy and essential skills?

4 How do we get people to improve their ES when they thinkthey are doing all right now?

4 How can we sell literacy and essential skills as crucial to recovery from the recession?

4 How can literacy providers deliver training – are they already doing it?

4 Are there other courses or curricula that literacy providersshould be delivering? How would they be marketed?

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QuestIoNs

Your Questions?

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Thank You.