1. Worklessness, literacy and reading Lindsay Prestage Reading and Literacy Manager Libraries & Archives, Kent County Council

2. What’s literacy got to do with it? Research shows that literacy (and numeracy) skills play an important part in terms of employability and wages. Men and women with poor literacy had the lowest levels of full-time employment at the age of 30 Men who improve their literacy rates see their likelihood of being on state benefits reduced from 19% to 6%.

3. What’s literacy got to do with it? 63% of men and 75% of women with very low literacy skills have never received a promotion. Acquisition of Level 1 numeracy or literacy skills raises the probability of employment by about 5 percentage points, and, for workers, raises wages by about 7 percentage points in the case of literacy skills.

4. The Kent Approach to Literacy and Reading Underpins the 3 ambitions of the Vision for Kent to grow the economy to tackle disadvantage to put the citizen in control

5. Aims: Raise awareness of literacy needs Promote the benefits of reading Raise awareness of the excellent good practice that already exists Involve more people to help us raise standards

6. Priority groups include: People who are out of work or on working age benefits Young people not in education, employment or training (NEETs)

7. Involving the whole community and you … ?

8. Kent History and Library Centre

14. Reading and Literacy activities in Maidstone

15. Working together lindsay.prestage@kent.gov.uk