This paper presents a case and some ideas for integrating basic skills development with occupational training. Explaining why traditional instructional methods do not work in the workplace, the paper summarizes learning theories that support work force literacy programs. It explains how to identify the skills needed in the workplace, provides…

This project report describes the development of a literacy curriculum that introduced the elements of democracy. After reviewing existing print and video materials, a curriculum design team of literacy practitioners and civic activists prepared a draft curriculum and pilot tested it in six adult literacy classes. Based on feedback from teachers…

This document consists of the final report and teacher handbook from a project conducted to develop a curriculum of information, strategies, and activities for adult basic education teachers, tutors, and counselors to use in helping adult students improve their higher order thinking skills. Findings of a review of the available literature on…

This packet contains sample DACUM (Developing a Curriculum) materials developed for two companies (The Hibbert Group and Trane Corporation). For the Hibbert Group, materials include the following: job and task descriptions for data services, inventory control, planning, and quality services personnel; a curriculum for those employees in reading,…

A 10-week course called "Communiclearsory" Training was developed to improve the written and oral communications skills of supervisors/foremen in the manufacturing trades. A total of 39 selected supervisors from 2 manufacturing industries in Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, were assessed by using the Test of Adult Basic Education (TABE)…

A survey was conducted to determine the technical curriculum needs of adult basic education (ABE) directors and full-time instructors employed through the Georgia Department of Technical and Adult Education's Office of Adult Literacy. Data were gathered through a 93-item survey that was developed and administered to all the 37 directors at a…

Originally designed to serve 400 employees, the Mott Community College (MCC) Workplace Literacy Project provided instruction in basic workplace skills to 566 employees from 20 companies. The cost was 2 percent lower than projected. All participants were assessed and counseled on the basis of the assessment tests. Individualized training plans were…

This report describes a National Workplace Literacy Demonstration project that provided onsite training at participating New Mexico hospitals in job-specific literacy skills necessary for satisfactory job performance. Six courses were offered that integrated language skills with reading, writing, and speaking components--Straight Talk:…

Mercer County Community College (New Jersey) and six small businesses used federal grant money to develop a model program of workplace literacy that would assist 600 adult workers with inadequate basic skills in performing their jobs. In analyzing the overall skills of the work force, the literacy audit identified these basic skills/literacy…

An evaluation examined how the Career Skills Enhancement Program identified and met the workplace literacy and basic skill needs of employees of the Santa Clara County (California) Office of Education. Data were collected through surveys, interviews, program records, participant evaluations of workshops, evaluator observations, and skill level…

This document describes a workplace literacy program designed to improve the literacy skills of entry-level workers in the housekeeping, food service, and laundry departments of Grady Memorial Hospital in Atlanta. An introduction describes the goals of the program and the employees served (low-literate adults who relied on word of mouth for most…

An independent evaluation of the College of Lake County's National Workplace Literacy Program included both formative and summative evaluations over the 3 years of the project. The evaluation design was planned primarily as a naturalistic inquiry that used the structured interview approach to data collection. An external evaluator interviewed all…

The vocational education program at California State University at Long Beach received a three-year grant to design and field-test a training curriculum in the area of curriculum-based vocational assessment for secondary school students with handicaps. A series of eight training modules was developed during the first project year (June 1986 to May…

The Meridian Partnership is a cooperative program established in 1992 by Meridian Community College (MCC), in Mississippi, and Peavey Electronics Corporation to provide expanded workplace literacy instruction to Peavey employees and to perform job analyses to develop customized mathematics and reading courseware. Hardware, software, classroom…

These two documents are products of a project to improve the capability of the Pennsylvania Regional Staff Development Centers to provide current, research-based workplace literacy training and technical assistance to adult basic and literacy education programs. The final report describes these project activities: development of training materials…