Interviews with stakeholders in an adult literacy program for university employees (instructor, program director, 17 of 34 employees, 11 of 20 supervisors) showed similar perceptions of improvement in skill, confidence, and self-esteem, participation in decision making, and involvement in lifelong learning. Better communication between supervisors…

Three National Workplace Literacy Program-funded projects were evaluated. Two statewide projects were institutionalized with supporting state structures. The community college program was not considered mission central and was discontinued after funding ended. Union involvement, learner participation, curriculum development, and staff training…

Although the literacy and related competencies required in skilled and semiskilled occupations are far more complex than the term "functional" implies, only marginal literacy competencies may be required for success on the job. Recommendations to adult basic education teachers include guidelines for preparing students for success in the workplace.…

An evaluation of Job Trails, a computerized basic skills assessment of functional context literacy, received 79 responses from adult students showing that (1) it works best with low performing learners; (2) adults liked using computers and did not view it as a "test"; and (3) they learned more about necessary job skills. (SK)

The Long Island Workplace Literacy Partnership was established to provide workplace literacy programs for adult workers with inadequate reading, mathematics, communication, English language, and decision-making skills. Four corporations cooperated with the Board of Cooperative Educational Services of Nassau County in the project. The service…

Examines mistakes in following instructions in an electronics factory. Explores the significance of the mistakes and a range of explanations for why they occur. Offers an expansive definition of what it means to be a literate, skills-rich worker, and urges vigilance against the tendency in both schools and workplaces to label and mislabel. (SC)

This is an evaluation report of the California Human Development Corporation (CHDC) Rural Workplace Literacy Project targeting migrant farmworkers. The program provided bilingual instruction in 15 worksites tailored to job-related literacy needs. Evaluation data were gathered through interviews, test results, observation, and an in-class…

An external evaluation of the Champaign County (Ohio) Workplace Literacy Project used the Triphase Evaluation process based on Stuffelbeam's decision-making model (1971). During the input phase, emphasis was on determining needs of workers and employers in order to develop a training program to meet specific identified needs. The process phase was…

Twenty-eight in-depth interviews were conducted with top executives in Philadelphia to discover issues and concerns about committing organizational resources over time to workplace literacy programs. Participants represented major organizations and institutions, both manufacturing and service. The executives reported that the manifestations of…

Craig raises concerns about the Movement for Canadian Literacy's proposal in terms of jurisdictional and organization issues regarding literacy and government role. Quigley examines the notion that workplace literacy is a panacea for economic development and warns of dangers in a major shift of funding to this form of literacy. (SK)

A study identified and conducted onsite case studies of 18 different education programs conducted by small companies. Two-thirds of them were conducted by manufacturing companies; the remainder were in health services, construction, or transportation companies. Most of the programs served fewer than 25 workers and had been in operation for less…

This document contains a final report, evaluation, and curriculum materials from a project conducted at the RJR Nabisco plant in Indianapolis to upgrade the literacy and numeracy skills of the workers to facilitate technological changes to production lines. As the final report explains, although the goal of the project was to recruit and test 150…

The VISIONS project, a workplace literacy program held in two manufacturing plants and a regional medical center, was conducted during an 18-month period from July 1, 1993 to December 31, 1994. During the project, staff were hired and trained, task analyses and orientation sessions were held, and tests and curricula were developed. Employees were…

Employees of Hannaford Brothers Company, Nichols Portland, and Wood Structures in the Casco Bay area of Maine participated in a series of tours at each worksite for three consecutive Tuesdays in August 1995. Each group of employees, some of whom were limited English speakers engaged in workplace literacy classes, planned a tour of their facility,…

During the Workplace Training Project, workplace trainers from Oregon's Lane Community College (LCC) provided workplace math classes to employees of an area business, PW Pipe. The math training was designed to help employees increase their proficiency in math and thereby reduce production error rates. During the training, PW Pipe's employees…