The Job Skills Education Program (JSEP) is a computer-based, functional basic skills curriculum and instructional delivery system originally designed for the U.S. Department of the Army. The U.S. Department of Labor funded an exploration of the feasibility of increasing the use of JSEP as a workplace literacy tool for employers. It was found that…

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…

The 27 articles in this 6-part guide provide information on developing and implementing writing instruction as part of content-area courses in two-year vocational-technical colleges. Part One, General Concerns, includes "Making Writing Work for You in the Interactive Classroom" (Killingsworth, Rude); "Evaluating and Responding to Student Writing"…

A study was conducted to obtain information about the involvement of the private sector in creating literacy programs for employees. Specifically, it examined the extent to which selected Fortune 500 companies were involved in literacy training and the extent to which materials and methods used were relevant to specific job tasks. An analysis of…

Research and analysis conducted to determine the effects of reducing the administration time for one or more levels of the Basic Occupational Literacy Test (BOLT) are described. The total usable sample consisted of 2,423 subjects. Data were collected from 23 states from 1978 to 1981. Data came from a variety of sources, including schools and…

In a concerted effort to head off a situation in which almost half of the nation's young adults may conceivably be judged as having restricted literacy skills, the Educational Testing Service (ETS) has made a major commitment of human and financial resources to the area of adult literacy. ETS is directing a team of researchers and measurement…

The need for a better educated work force has created a corresponding need for workplace literacy programs. A number of issues have emerged as the focus of literacy education has shifted from improving social mobility to providing employment-related literacy programs. Some of these issues are related to the need for more resources for workplace…

The vocational reading demands of the plumbing trade were investigated to compare the curricular reading demands encountered by apprentices in the educational setting and the occupational reading demands encountered by journeymen in the actual job situation. A secondary purpose of the study was to examine the role and treatment of reading, as both…

As part of a project that identified the specific literacy skills required in ten occupations, this report provides two levels of instructional information about machine tool operators. Factual data are presented in Parts I and II for use in decision making by program developers, administrators, teachers, and counselors. These sections note the…

As part of a project that identified the specific literacy skills required in ten occupations, this report provides two levels of instructional information about secretaries. Factual data are presented in Parts I and II for use in decision making by program developers, administrators, teachers, and counselors. These sections note the specific…

Illiterate workers in industrial jobs can endanger themselves and fellow workers by misreading warning signs and can cost companies millions by misreading instructions. The problem of literacy is also apparent in offices, where often dictated correspondence must be retyped at least once because of errors. Of 800 companies surveyed, 35% felt they…

A cost-effective, computer-based, Navy-related basic reading skills program was developed for United States Navy recruits reading below sixth grade level. The program, called Performance-Related Enabling Skills Training (PREST), is designed to enable recruits to improve their reading and study skills and, thereby, increase the probability of their…

It has long been accepted that adult literacy and numeracy is best taught and learned in real-life situations that relate to everyday needs. This means that opportunities for learning are everywhere, not just in formal learning situations. This report seeks to identify examples and principles of the successful integration of learning about adult…

The Portfolio Project was conducted to promote lifelong, self-directed learning in the workplace. The project, which offered courses on basic skills, supervisory communications, and English as a second language, was initiated as a literacy demonstration project by the Casco Bay Partnership (CBP), which brought together government, educators, and…

CASAS (Comprehensive Adult Student Assessment System) and ACT (American College Testing) have separately developed systems to identify the skills needed in the workplace. A research project studied the relationship between CASAS' Workforce Learning Systems (WLS) and ACT's Work Keys to determine how the systems could be linked to support…