The Secretary of Labor's recommendations for changing the U.S. work force include (1) bridging the gap between workers and employment opportunities; (2) improving the school-to-work transition; (3) providing lifelong learning opportunities for current workers; and (4) preparing all potential workers in the shrinking labor pool. (SK)

Discusses roles for labor unions in resolving workforce deficiencies, suggesting that labor, management, and government must work together to develop cooperative training initiatives. Describes labor's historic role in basic and workplace literacy training, lists skills workers need in the "new" workplace, describes exemplary union-management…

Discusses three forms of literacy--functional literacy, the ability to read and write, and workplace literacy. Includes "The Magnavox Experience" (Ford); "Aloha Means Goodbye to Workforce Illiteracy" (Beil); and "A Hospital's Prescription for Illiteracy" (Solovy-Pratt, Vicary). (JOW)

Presents four suggestions from teachers on classroom and teaching matters, including (1) using a journalism model for teaching essay writing; (2) a framework of teaching options for content area instruction; (3) what makes a good workplace literacy project; and (4) what helps students learn problem solving. (SR)

Explores the research regarding the workplace writing practices of two-year college graduates. Outlines the basic skills that two-year teachers should work to foster in their students' writing. Summarizes the most important findings of recent studies of workplace writing tasks most commonly faced by recent college graduates. (HB)

Introduces the standardized safety sign system being established in the United States. Argues that these safety signs, symbols, and warnings may be a good place to begin a workplace literacy project for workers with limited reading skills. (SR)

Presents a 48-item selected annotated bibliography of recent research in the teaching of English (most published in scholarly journals between July and December, 1997). Organizes the annotations into sections on assessment; bilingual education and foreign language education; discourse processes; family/workplace literacy; professional development;…

Summarizes the experiences of workers from non-English-speaking backgrounds (NESB) in accessing safety information. The article examines the issue through the workers' eyes and focuses on the potential relationships between language and literacy and workplace health and safety and a concern for the reasons why some NESB workers are losers in…

In a changing society there is considerable interest in developing and systematising people's lifelong learning and in relating this to workplace performance. In Brazil, there has been a growing emphasis on researching and developing basic education and vocational courses from the perspective of active citizenship. This point of view informs this…

A technology instructor's job is not to simply "shovel out" knowledge; they must inspire students to seek out information on their own. Their mission is to prepare students for success in the workplace in the shortest practical time, and one of these workplace requirements is the ability to read and research on the job. Although most technology…

Educational problems underlie the crisis in the high-tech workplace. Insufficient expenditures for workplace education result in low productivity. Technology requires a skilled work force; the chief competitive advantage for a nation will be its skilled workers. Workplace literacy has been a half-hearted effort. Investment of billions by U.S.…

Developed by the ABCs of Construction National Workplace Literacy Project, this fifth-grade level module teaches different kinds of vocabulary words encountered in work-related texts used by pipefitter trainees. The module covers the following topics: differences between general, specialized, and technical words; learning new words; drills for…

This document contains the lesson plans for a 12-week course in basic workplace pre-algebra that was developed for clothing and textile workers through the joint effort of Northeastern Illinois University's Chicago Teachers' Center and the Amalgamated Clothing and Textile Workers Union. A chart for recording students' mastery of 25 course…

This handbook is designed for individuals responsible for planning employee education, technical training, and other human resource development services in a workplace setting, especially in small business. It provides information on integrating basic education activities with technical training and organizational change activities to enable all…

A study determined how workplace basic education could be factored into state-level planning by collecting information from 41 individuals representing adult educators, state policy developers, union representatives, and employers in 26 states; 4 focus groups; and a document review. Findings indicated that, despite significant previous experience…