According to practice engagement theory within the field of adult education, everyday workplace activities offer an opportunity for skill development among youth and young adults; yet, prior research highlights the prevalence of routine and low-skill work within entry-level jobs. Utilising data from the Programme for the International Assessment…

In the wake of the technological revolution that began in the last decades of the 20th century, labour market demand for information-processing and other high-level cognitive and interpersonal skills is growing substantially. The "Survey of Adult Skills," a product of the OECD Programme for the International Assessment of Adult…

This first "OECD Skills Outlook" presents the initial results of the Survey of Adult Skills (PIAAC), which evaluates the skills of adults in 22 OECD member countries and two partner countries. The PIAAC survey was designed to provide insights into the availability of some key skills and how they are used at work and at home through the…

Governments and other stakeholders have become increasingly interested in assessing the skills of their adult populations in order to monitor how well prepared they are to meet the challenges of the new information world. The current paper provides an overview of the conceptual framework for the assessment of numeracy developed for the OECD's…

This volume, one of a series of curriculum guides compiled by the Colorado Workplace Learning Initiative: 1991-92, contains seven workplace literacy courses on enhanced basic skills involving decisions, teams, problem solving, and critical thinking. Introductory materials include a table of contents and a list of the curriculum topics covered by…

Argues that preparing students for literacy demands outside school means increasing both the amount of time students spend reading and writing and the range of real world reading and writing materials that they use to solve problems and complete tasks. (HOD)

Six curriculum modules for Casa Sanchez, a San Francisco Mexican restaurant and food product manufacturer, are presented. Casa Sanchez was one of four small businesses involved in Project EXCEL, a workplace literacy project that focused on literacy and basic skills training for limited English proficient (LEP) workers. The modules are as follows:…

Five curriculum modules for Momentum, Inc., a San Francisco (California) outerwear design and contract manufacturer, are presented. Momentum was one of four small businesses involved in Project EXCEL, a workplace literacy project that focused on literacy and basic skills training for limited-English-proficient (LEP) workers. The modules are as…

The demand for worker literacy is increasing in nearly every occupation, from entry-level blue collar to top professional and technical. The types of reading and writing required on the job differ considerably from the literacy activities required of students in schools. Most of the reading done in the workplace environment is done for the express…

This workshop manual is intended for groups in the workplace. It leads the group step-by-step through problem-solving techniques based on both critical and creative thinking approaches to describe, analyze, plan, and act on a realistic shared understanding of the real problem and workable solutions. It begins with a problem-solving curriculum…

The typical undergraduate program in computer science includes an introduction to hardware and operating systems, file processing and database organization, data communication and networking, and programming. However, many graduates may lack the ability to integrate the concepts "learned" into a skill set and pattern of approaching problems that…

This workbook suggests six problem-solving steps to help employees in workplace literacy programs learn how to solve problems: identify the problem; clarify goals; examine alternatives; choose; act; and evaluate and react. Fifteen problem scenarios are provided for group efforts in problem solving. A problem-solving questionnaire and questionnaire…

This learning module is designed to enable participants from any workplace setting to identify their own learning styles and to raise awareness of how to work with other employees who have different learning styles. The module includes units for six class sessions. Each unit includes the following materials: rationale, learning objectives,…

In 1991, a project studied implementation of the American Society for Training and Development's Workplace Basics model. Field testing was conducted in two Virginia industries: Corning Incorporated in Waynesboro and American Safety Razor (ASR) in Verona. Corning had fewer than 100 employees and an 85 percent female work force; it had shifted from…

Selected papers from the 1991 annual conference of the American Reading Forum are presented in this yearbook. The papers, which deal with issues regarding ways to develop and strengthen a society of active readers, address policies, procedures, and programs for the beginning child reader, the beginning adult reader, and a range of readers in…