In this paper we argue that learning in the workplace can bring considerable benefits for learners and employers. It draws on data from in-depth interviews and secondary sources from eight sites of work-based learning as part of wider research into the effects of five national policy mechanisms within the Learning and Skills Sector. We also have…

Purpose: The purpose of this article is to contribute to an understanding of how diverse groups of employees perceive their workplaces as learning environments, and to cast light on the learning processes of these diverse groups of employees. Design/methodology/approach: This study was designed to examine employee perceptions of: the extent to…

This brief describes national technical assistance organizations. Thirteen organizations are included: Essential Skills Resource Center; Center for Applied Linguistics; Center on Education and Training for Employment; Language Training Designs; Center for Remediation Design; Matrices Consultants, Inc.; Performance Plus Literacy Consultants; HRD…

This performance report, presented in chart form, outlines progress on five goals of the Massachusetts Workplace Literacy Consortium. Under each goal are a number of objectives, and for each objective the chart describes activities, accomplishments, responsible party, and time frame. Goals are as follows: (1) "Enhance the Productivity and…

This manual consists of glossaries and descriptions of medical terminology for use in a workplace literacy program for hospital workers. The sections are as follows: hospital patient care areas; hospital departments; medical specialists; word elements (root, prefix, suffix, combining vowel, compound word); surgical procedures; diseases and…

The functional literacy movement has emphasized the ability to read job-related materials as a major occupational/functional skill. Various studies, by the Educational Testing Service and others, have supported the contention that the ability to read is a fundamental vocational skill in American society. (CH)

Points to the importance of teaching job literacy. Outlines a method (which was successfully employed in the military) of analyzing job demands, and then constructing and using effective literacy materials. (ARH)

This paper explains the rationale and methods for integrating workplace literacy with English literature instruction for high school or adult students. The workplace literacy/English literature activities presented include: (1) a newsletter format reporting on the major historical periods in English literature; (2) a business project report used…

Suggests that students read less often in school than most workers do on the job, that they read less competently, and that they face easier material which they read to less depth. (AEA)

Changing views of learning in the workplace necessitate new assessment approaches. Narrative provides a vehicle for self-reflection and examination of complex realities. Related techniques are scenario building and process mapping. (SK)

Education for liberation respects learners' cultures and situations; it poses a particular challenge for workplace literacy education, which must respond to employers as well as to workers. (Editor)

Melville's "Bartleby" and "The Paradise of Bachelors and The Tartarus of Maidens" provide insights into workplace literacy on the following issues: existential nature of literacy, empowerment versus compliance, class and gender exploitation, and the use of literacy as a tool to label, control, and delimit people and their…

In workplace reading classes, employees practiced self-monitoring, use of background knowledge, identification of the purpose of reading, work-related vocabulary, and concept mapping. A survey one year later showed most were still using self-monitoring, prior knowledge, purpose of reading, and critical vocabulary on the job. (SK)

A survey of 2,021 Nevada employers received 1,124 usable responses indicating significant differences in their interest in adult basic education services. Larger organizations were more interested (57% of those with more than 500 employees). They were most interested in methods to encourage attendance and in availability of information about…

The Screening Battery of the Adult Basic Learning Examination and a demographic questionnaire were completed by 65 employees in small manufacturing firms in Oklahoma City. Despite overall educational attainment of 11.5 years, grade equivalents of scores were 7.6 for reading comprehension, 8.9 for problem solving; 21.5% were classified as…