Classroom training sessions for new home care workers (HCWs) are often brief and ad hoc, varying in format and content. Yet the application of this training may be central to worker and client safety. A qualitative approach was adopted for this inquiry, comprising two separate but related practical studies. In the first, exploratory study,…

Australia appears to be in the grip of a "literacy crisis" in workplaces. Media reports and industry/skills organisations are decrying the low literacy and numeracy levels of workers and the negative effects these have on productivity. As a consequence, the Australian government has increased funding for workplace literacy and numeracy…

Language, literacy and numeracy are necessary for greater workforce participation, productivity and social inclusion. Being able to measure the level of proficiency in these skills, and any changes in the level of skills, is important for getting a sense of how well language, literacy and numeracy programs are working. Two measurement tools used…

A key challenge of Australia's vocational education and training (VET) system is to serve the broad needs of individuals, communities, and industries. This includes the provision of literacy and generic skills which meet the needs of all groups. This study investigates and documents workplace literacy in aged care facilities and call centres,…

Some of the tensions in the adult literacy and English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) fields are explored from both the state and institutional level in Australia. In an effort to promote discussion at a national conference, several questions are posed regarding these and other issues: national goals/priorities/accountability, funding for professional…

Award restructure poses questions about appropriate response to the retraining and education needs of workers in Australia who have literacy difficulties. The following actions should be taken: (1) the government should fund a research project that will evaluate workplace efficiency outcomes for employers who have participated in the Workplace…

This collection of papers is a review of the adult literacy projects in Australia funded under the 1987-89 Adult Literacy Action Campaign (ALAC) of the National Policy on Languages. Fourteen authors describe various literacy projects and, often, their outcomes. The projects described are grouped in seven areas. On the subject of Literacy Training…

A research project determined the impact of workplace language and literacy inclusive training (LLIT) on key aspects of the workplace in regard to the process of workplace change. Over 500 respondents in more than 30 different Australian workplaces representing 13 industries across 5 Australian states took part. The study developed and used five…

This volume contains all statistical data from a research project that determined the impact of workplace language and literacy inclusive training (LLIT) on key aspects of the workplace in regard to the whole process of workplace change. The document presents the principal data on which the findings and recommendations are based. A general…

The Workplace English Language and Literacy (WELL) program is intended to provide Australian workers with the language, literacy, and numeracy skills needed to meet their current and ongoing employment and training needs. A research methodology based on the principles of naturalistic inquiry was used to examine the extent to which WELL projects…

The question of what makes 'good' literacy and numeracy provision was examined by reviewing interview data from a project on the role of vocational education and training that was conducted by the University of Tasmania's Centre for Research and Learning in Regional Australia. The study dataset included the findings from 541 structured interviews…

This document contains 123 papers from an international conference on vocational education and training (VET) for lifelong learning in the information era. The papers focus on the following themes: (1) societal and ethical issues; (2) human resource development and personnel training; (3) international issues; (4) information technology in VET;…