MEETING THE CHALLENGE A Guide to Essential Skills and TOWES

WHAT ARE ESSENTIAL SKILLS “enabling” skills that help people perform tasks required by their jobs. skills that provide workers with a foundation for learning other skills. skills that enhance the ability to adapt to change. Workplace essential skills are the Velcro to which other training sticks

Which Essential Skills do YOU rely on… At work? At home?

THE 9 ESSENTIAL SKILLS INCLUDE… 1.READING TEXT refers to reading material that is in the form of sentences or paragraphs such as regulations, letters, memos, and reports. 2.DOCUMENT USE refers to tasks that involve a variety of information displays including graphs, lists, tables, blueprints, and schematics. 3.WRITING pertains to tasks involving the completion of documents such as forms and writing text.

Essential Skills continued… 4.NUMERACY refers to the worker’s use of numbers and includes skills involving money, scheduling or budgeting, accounting, measurement and calculation, and estimation. 5.ORAL COMMUNICATION involves a worker’s use of speech to give and exchange thoughts and information. 6.THINKING SKILLS refers to the worker’s ability to problem solve, make decisions, plan and organize job tasks, use memory and find information.

7.WORKING WITH OTHERS pertains to the skills that workers need to work successfully with others to carry out their tasks. 8.COMPUTER USE refers to the worker’s use of computers and related equipment to perform their jobs 9.CONTINUOUS LEARNING pertains to the worker’s requirement to participate in an ongoing process of acquiring skills and knowledge. Essential Skills continued…

Essential Skills 1.Reading text 2.Document use 3.Numeracy 4.Writing 5.Oral communication 6.Thinking skills 7.Working with others 8.Computer use 9.Continuous learning 9

BACKGROUND Heavy investments are made in the area of Essential Skills because of: 1. Canada’s skill deficit 2. Their impact on Canada’s GDP 3. Their impact on safety 4. Their requirement for employment 5. The need for a valid measure of workplace competency

Canada’s Skill Deficit 22 country survey (IALS) determined the literacy levels of adults and the impact of literacy on economic success and global competitiveness. IALS developed new 5 point scale to measure proficiency.

International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) ’ 83 ’ 84 ’ 85 ’ 86 ’ 87 ’ 88 ’ 89 ’ 90 Level 2 (Document Use) In what year were the fewest number of people in the Netherlands injured by fireworks? Level 3 (Document Use) Describe the relationship between sales of fireworks and injuries due to fireworks In millions of Canadian dollars Fireworks in the NetherlandsVictims of fireworks Number treated in hospitals ’ 83 ’ 84 ’ 85 ’ 86 ’ 87 ’ 88 ’ 89 ’ 90

Canada’s Skill Deficit Key Findings from IALS: Literacy is firmly linked to economic success and productivity. Changing workplace requires higher levels of literacy Respondents scoring <3 out of 5 lack the skills needed to transfer existing knowledge to new environments. Many Canadian adults have limited literacy skills.

PERFORMANCE OF CANADIANS A significant portion of Canadians are at the two lowest levels in three important essential skill areas: reading text, document use and numeracy. Source: Matching Canadians’ Literacy Attainment to Actual Occupational Requirements, May 2001.

IMPACT ON CANADA’S GDP. Relationship between GDP per capita and per cent at Reading Text - Levels 1 and 2, population aged 16-65, Research indicates that a 1% (5 point) gain in Essential Skills scores, on a per worker basis, would increase Canada’s GDP by 1.5 %. This gain would be realized year-after-year.

Impact on Safety. Research conducted by groups such as the Canadian Trucking Human Resources Council shows that workers with skills at Levels 1 & 2 were 150% more likely to be involved in a workplace accident than those at level >3.

Workplace demands for Essential Skills Jobs for which no post secondary education is necessary increasingly require a minimum of Level 3 (e.g. cashier, security guard or labourer). Reading text Document use Numeracy 100% 80% 60% 40% 20% 0% level 1 level 2 level 3 level 4/5 lowest highest Source: Matching Canadians’ Literacy Attainment to Actual Occupational Requirements, May 2001.

Two worlds? SchoolWork

In the phrase “a sorrow wandering in the halls of memory” (line 5), the author effectively uses: a) imitative harmony b) personification c) alliteration d) irony Question 1 - Alberta English 33 Grade 12 Diploma Exam (1999) Sample: Academic-Based Question

What is the catalog number and description of the part from the 7700 series mask shown below? Note: supporting document not shown Sample: Workplace-Based Question ___________ ____________ Catalog number Description

TOOLS AND APPLICATONS Essential Skills Research Project & profiles TOWES Measure Up AWAL - Applications of Work & Learning

ESSENTIAL SKILLS PROFILES Government has profiled the Essential skill requirements for 200 NOC job classifications; by 2005 all job classifications will have been profiled Each profile provides detailed information about how Essential Skills are used by workers in that job classification. Research results are available, free of charge www15.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca

TOWES “G SERIES” Three generic versions Paper & pencil test that uses authentic workplace documents to test essential skill proficiency in reading, document use & numeracy Compares test results to national standards established by HRSDC Results comparable to more than 300 occupations

G SERIES… Education Benefits Accurate measure of client employment readiness compared to national occupational standards Pre-employment, career, integrated training and pre-apprenticeship programs Career counseling

Your turn: Find the Essential Skills 1.What is it? Text Document Mixed 2.What type of reading skills are required to answer the questions? 3.What other skills are required: Numeracy? Document use? Thinking skills? Other? 4.What type of activity would you design to work on other skills, using the same text or document?