This article describes two decades of workplace basic skills efforts in the United States (mid 1980s to early 2000s). Private- and public-sector groups defined the problem of inadequate basic skills in the incumbent workforce. They raised awareness of this problem as it affected various segments of the workforce and diverse industries. They…

Media reports suggest widespread illiteracy among adults who may not be able to read, write, speak, or otherwise communicate competently enough to meet the demands of modern society. There is no consensus on the definition of illiteracy or supporting statistics. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the adult illiteracy rate is 13…

This document addresses issues related to the problem that many U.S. citizens do not have literacy skills adequate to meet their needs and ambitions. The first section of the paper provides an overview of the problem, discussing how to define literacy, how it has been measured, some estimates of how many people are illiterate, who they are and…

This report describes a joint labor-management workplace literacy program called SET (Skills Enhancement Training) that targeted the more than 2,000 unionized employees of food service contractors at U.S. government institutions in Washington, D.C. Nineteen classes were offered and a total of 191 people self-selected themselves into the program.…

This compilation contains 14 fact sheets published by the Adult Learning & Literacy Clearinghouse. It includes an unnumbered fact sheet from January and these numbers from February: 0, 3-10, 12, 14, 16, and 17. Topics are as follows: the Even Start Family Literacy Program, Federal Adult Education and Literacy Program; adult education for…

A 1991 conference provided a forum where workplace educators could analyze their experience. Participants agreed that establishing a partnership between business or labor organizations and education providers was a key step in developing an effective workplace literacy program. Participants also saw the importance of curriculum development to…

Workplace literacy was the focus of attention during the era of the National Workplace Literacy Program (NWLP), funded by the U.S. Department of Education from 1988-1996. Since then, it has not disappeared, in part because recent legislation such as the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) and Welfare Reform Act has increased the work-related focus of…

A need for remediation has been increasingly apparent within vocational education and job-related skill training. The current debates about basic skills and literacy reveal ambiguities in the definition of the problem and the focus of the concern. Telephone questionnaires and program visits provided information about remedial offerings within…