Unions are natural providers of basic skills instruction. They are in daily workplace contact with their membership, are trusted to work on members' behalf, and speak the language of the worker. Unions are trying to address the needs of illiterate workers through collective bargaining arrangements in which employers contribute a percentage of…

A project created a model for literacy councils that would allow them to form working partnerships with small businesses and provide instruction based on the needs of both the employer and the employee. Fifty employers received Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council (GPLC) program information by mail; 20 participated in a workplace survey. Three…

This document is the final report of the first year's operation of a project designed to train literacy and adult education providers and organizations in business, industry, and labor to develop and implement effective workplace literacy programs. The program, which operates in Pennsylvania on the state and regional levels, initiates the…

Stressing to remedial educators the danger of complacency once a learner has acquired the basic skills of reading and numeracy, the authors advocate cooperation and coordination between secondary remedial education and adult literacy programs and call for a real commitment by teachers toward fostering basic skills in the disadvantaged. (SJL)

This handbook has been prepared for the use of literacy practitioners interested in developing strategies for promoting service integration for their clients. The main body of the handbook is divided into three sections. Section 1, Getting Started, gives insight into the initial considerations and planning activities involved in getting started in…

The second of two conferences on adult literacy focused on the broader contexts of adult literacy. That is, lack of basic skills is not a problem in a vaccum but is bound up with people's other problems and needs and the forces shaping their lives; likewise, efforts to teach basic skills must be viewed in relation to the local, state, and national…

The key to success in Job Opportunities and Basic Skills Training (JOBS) programs is a philosophy of high expectations. The philosophy accommodates both client and societal concerns. Highlights of the philosophy include the following: respecting the client's goals; giving nonjudgmental acceptance, constant encouragement, and emotional support;…

This document explains the Pittsburgh Literacy Initiative (PLI), what role it plays in workplace literacy, what mechanisms it has used, and what has been learned. Section 1 lists the five aspects of the initiative's mission: clearinghouse, screening center, program development, data collection, and literacy promotion. Section 2 describes the…

The Labour Adjustment Initiative was developed in Ontario to provide the ever-increasing number of laid-off workers with remedial basic skills training in order to prepare them for other jobs or further training. The model developed by the Literacy Branch of the Ontario government emphasized a collaborative approach that drew together all of the…

Site visits to 17 workplace education projects funded in the second year of the Massachusetts Workplace Education Initiative are reported for year 1 and year 2 projects. The year one projects are as follows: EASCO Handtool Company (Springfield), T.J. Maxx Distribution Center (Worcester), laundry workers (Boston/Lynn), AT&T (Lawrence), and…

Service integration is a public policy strategy that brings together many services for highly disadvantaged persons, refashions the delivery of those services to meet individual needs, and increases the possibility of long-term success. Literacy training is an appropriate centerpiece for service integration because it contributes to the long-term…

The Northeast Texas Workplace Partnership Program developed curriculum and training materials based on the literacy requirements of the workplace for two different industries in northeast Texas--Lone Star Steel Company and Pilgrim's Pride Industries. Three advisory committees were established to involve the community, education, and business and…

The first of two papers that comprise this document introduces Australia's response to 1990 as the United Nations (UN) International Literacy Year (ILY). The second paper sets policy directions for Australia's Literacy Year program. The first paper contains the six UN objectives for the year (to increase government action to combat illiteracy,…

A study examined the affiliations between adult basic education programs and business, industry, and unions in the 50 States and the District of Columbia. Of the 47 state directors of adult education who returned the mail questionnaire, 31 reported formal affiliations and 5 reported informal affiliations with businesses and/or unions in their…

This packet contains 15 lessons developed in a workplace basic skills project for the metal casting industry established jointly by Central Alabama Community College and Robinson Foundry, Inc. The lessons cover the following topics: (1) green sand schedule; (2) the core room; (3) the core room (continued); (4) figuring time; (5) the cleaning room;…