Project Partners: Office of Literacy and Essential Skills/ Bureau de l'alphabétisation et des compétences essentielles THE SCALES PROJECT

Our Project Team Debi Saul Project Manager ext Pamela Jadischke Essential Skills Specialist Conestoga College ext Michelle Forrest Essential Skills Expert Darlene O’Neill Essential Skills Coordinator Career Development Specialist NSCC

Our Project Team Stewart Kallio Subject Matter Expert, Literacy and Essential Skills Kallio Consulting Pam Tetarenko Program Manager The Training Group, Douglas College Clayton Rhodes Essential Skills Expert Durham College Janice Huber Coordinator The Training Group, Douglas College

Presentation Goals Increase awareness of the Essentials Skills Increase awareness of the benefits of Essentials Skills Provide scenarios to demonstrate how Essential Skills can fit using the Career Development Model Increase awareness of the SCALES project

Test Your Essential Skills Knowledge!!!

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.

Essential Skills Background Work done in Canada, United States and Great Britain had identified a set of skills that were used in virtually all occupations The Essential Skills Research Project (ESRP) tried to provide answers to what these skills look like in different jobs and how does one know if they have the skills needed to do the job they want to do Work done through the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) and Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (ALLS) showed a skills deficit The Business World was demanding a common measurement of skills rather than trying to attach an educational requirement to all occupations

Essential Skills Deficit The research of the 90’s and early 2000’s found little improvement in 10 years. Key findings revealed: Skills had not improved significantly 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 Canadians adults have limited literacy skills

The Nine Essential Skills Reading Text Document Use Numeracy Writing Oral Communication Working with Others Continuous Learning Thinking Skills Computer Use

Where Essential Skills Fits With Other Skills Essential Skills Occupation Specific Skills Employer Specific Skills ABC Plumbing Company Plumbers - In-School Apprenticeship Training Generic

Essential Skills Measuring Table For Reading, Document Use and Numeracy Measuring Complexity Using IALS 500 Point Scale & HRSDC Five-Point Scale

Canada’s Skills Deficit Performance of Canadians A significant portion of Canadians are at the two lowest levels in three important essential skills areas: reading text, document use, and numeracy. Source: Matching Canadians’ Literacy Attainment to Actual Occupational Requirements, May 2001.

Canada’s Skills Deficit Workplace Demands for Essential Skills Jobs for which no post secondary education is necessary increasingly require a minimum of Level 3 in reading text, document use, and numeracy (e.g. cashier, security guard or labourer). Lowe st Highe st Source: Matching Canadians’ Literacy Attainment to Actual Occupational Requirements, May 2001.

Essential Skills Profiles Essential Skills Profiles include: A brief description of the occupation A list of the most important Essential Skills Example tasks that illustrate how each Essential Skill is applied Complexity ratings that indicate the level of difficulty, from level 1(least complex) to levels 4/5 (most complex), of the example tasks Standardized summaries of skill content The physical aspects of performing the job and the attitudes that workers feel are needed to do the job well Future trends affecting Essential Skills

Group Work Essential Skills Profiles: In groups, you will be asked to answer a series of questions using the provided Essential Skills profiles

Group Work HRSDC Tools and Resources In groups, you will be asked to play the role of either –Job Developer –Career Practitioner –Literacy Practitioner –HR Manager –Facilitator In this role, you will be asked to select one (or more) of the HRSDC Tools and Resources that will benefit your client

Benefits of Essential Skills

The Benefits of Essential Skills

The cost of moving 48% of Canada`s adult population to level 3 reading offers remarkable benefits The Benefits of Essential Skills Level 1 to 3Level 2 to 3Combined Return in Public Savings 8,062,000,000 8,021,000,000 16,083,000,000 Income Tax Revenue 4,677,000,000 6,513,000,000 11,190,000,000 Social Assistance 115,000, ,000, ,000,000 Total Cost of Raising Skill to Level 3 6,401,000,000 Estimated Rate of Return 251% Source: Murray, McCracken, Willms, Jones, Shillington & Strucker (2009), Addressing Canada’s Literacy Challenge: A Cost/Benefit Analysis

The Benefits of Essential Skills Over 40% of Canadians have skill deficits and are not aware they do not meet the recognized minimum level for the workplace Over 80% of individuals at a Level 2 believe their skills are excellent Unemployed Canadians are 3 times more likely than employed Canadians to have skill deficits Unemployed persons at a Level 1 & 2 take up to 38 weeks to re-enter employment compared to 9 weeks for those with higher skills levels Growth industries require high levels of Essentials Skills; jobs that require lower levels are declining

The SCALES Project Supporting the Canadian Advancement of Literacy and Essential Skills

Our Mission Integrate a LES approach (a method that considers both the Literacy and Essential Skill levels of their clients when assisting them in making life/work decisions) into existing active employment measures, retraining options or active job searches Increase the capacity of service providers and employment counsellors to provide assessment and referral services Build the confidence of adults in transition in relation to LES in order to assess their skill levels to develop action plans for re- entry into the workforce or re-training options

P HASE 1: R ESEARCH The research sought to answer the following, as they pertain to the provinces of Ontario, Nova Scotia, and British Columbia: What LES tools and models are currently being used by Career Practitioners or other professionals who assist unemployed and low- skilled workers in achieving their career goals? What LES tools, resources and models are needed and desired in order to assist practitioners to incorporate a LES approach into their work?

Phase 1: Research – Key Findings

Next Steps Focus groups will be held in Ontario, Nova Scotia, and British Columbia in February and March 2011 Tools and/or programs will be developed between March and August 2011 Pilot sites and an evaluation strategy for the pilots will be identified by the end of September 2011

Brainstorming Session How can we help you?

Presentation Goals Increase awareness of the Essentials Skills Increase awareness of the benefits of Essentials Skills Provide scenarios to demonstrate how Essential Skills can fit using the Career Development Model Increase awareness of the SCALES project

Debi Saul Project Manager