Workplace literacy learners used photos of their lives and work to create a personally meaningful curriculum. The project revealed the meaning of work and learning in their new culture and the ways they adapted to and changed their work environment. The necessity of incorporating learners' perspectives in workplace literacy was emphasized.…

This article provides a field-based account of how to develop and implement an adult workplace literacy program for English as a Second Language (ESL) students based upon the principles of a social practices definition of literacy. The purpose of the program is to provide basic literacy instruction for the growing population of Spanish-speaking…

A JTPA/FEL (Job Training Partnership Act/Family English Literacy) demonstration project is reported that involves a partnership between the Lao Family Community (LFC) of Minnesota, the City of St. Paul, and St. Paul Public Schools/Adult Basic Education. The goal is to provide workplace literacy instruction to refugees with limited English…

One of a series of workplace education modules, this module includes assessment instruments and classroom activities for teaching English as a Second Language (ESL) in the workplace. First, an overview is provided, describing issues unique to teaching ESL in the workplace. Five levels of difficulty are then described for module activities (i.e.,…

Mercer County Community College (MCCC) in Trenton, New Jersey, and two local companies (The Trane Company and The Hibbert Group) collaborated on a job-focused, competency-based curriculum to develop literacy competence and English communication capability among native English speakers and speakers of English as a second language (ESL) working at…

A description is provided of the Lower Merrimack Valley Workplace Education Project (WEP), an educational project that offers English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) and job-specific education classes to hourly employees in the Semiconductor Division of Alpha Industries. The challenge of the project was to create a WEP that could accommodate the…

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,…

This collection of 14 articles focuses on the Reading and Writing and Oral Communication Streams of the Certificates of General Education (CGE) for Adults in the context of literacy teaching practices. Section 1 contains 11 case studies and articles with a practical focus. Practitioners discuss aspects of their curriculum development related to…

This two-part manual is designed to assist employers who desire to retain, promote, or retrain their limited-English-proficient (LEP) workforce to meet the challenge of training and adaptation to job restructuring. This document contains manuals for both English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) program developers and business/industry decision makers.…

In an expansion of an earlier National Workplace Literacy Program project, this document reports on a workplace literacy model operated by the Arlington Education and Employment Program (REEP) that includes the Alexandria and Arlington, Virginia Public Schools, the chambers of commerce of both cities, and 14 local hotels. The project provided…

This guide describes the process used by the Cambodian Mutual Assistance Association of Greater Lowell, and Altron, Inc., a local manufacturer, to design, establish, and operate a workplace literacy program. The first chapter outlines steps and considerations in setting up the program, including the establishment of a successful collaboration,…

This training manual is designed to help English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) teachers and supervisors successfully develop a workplace ESOL class. Four modules include: (1) "Knowing and Presenting Your Adult Education Program to Business and Industry" (e.g., introduction to Tennessee's Workplace ESOL Initiative, the four-step…

An evaluation of an 18-month workplace education program at 2 health care sites in Cambridge, Massachusetts, showed that the curriculum designed could be adapted for other workplace education programs. The workplace education program was designed to help improve the language skills of employees at Neville Manor and at the Cambridge Hospital. Of 35…

A project demonstrated that a workplace literacy model can be replicated in large and small businesses with significant learner outcomes and used to improve worker productivity. It served 938 employees of 4 partners at 12 sites, including 2 large and 1 small manufacturing plants, major health care system, and multiple small businesses. Diverse,…

This document consists of the final report and evaluation report of the Workshops in the Workplace, a workplace education program that was a business education partnership. The final report describes the following: the partners--three manufacturing firms and a medical facility; the areas addressed--workplace education as a second language, problem…