As part of a project that identified the specific literacy skills required in ten occupations, this report provides two levels of instructional information about account clerks. 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…

A study was undertaken to determine the operational reading levels and skills of beginning office employees and to compare the readability of classroom and on-the-job materials. Clerks and secretaries who had been employed for two years or less were observed and interviewed to collect the data. Statistical analysis revealed that secretaries read…

This professional development packet consists of two sessions, each requiring 6 hours. Session one is designed to teach participants to do the following: identify at least three unique characteristics of workplace English as a Second Language (ESL); describe the steps involved in developing a workplace ESL program; identify the basic steps of…

This paper documents the development and field testing of pedagogical materials needed for six 5-week modules of French language instruction and introduction to Quebec's Francophone culture and business practices. Presently available materials produced in the United States too often focus on France and French business practices. Similarly,…

Examines increased print-communication demands in business organizations. Identifies three employee needs: (1) long-term support to move from illiteracy to productive skill levels; (2) basic skills training integrated with regular job training; and (3) short-term targeted training or access to redesigned documents and job performance aids. (KEH)

Focuses on the literacy problems of deaf people who are seeking employment. The article argues for the provision of adequate English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) literacy skills training, makes programming recommendations, and suggests employment strategies that deaf people need. (12 references) (Author/CK)

Discusses changes in society that have led to literacy skills being a criterion for employment. Topics include reading; communication skills; writing; cognitive processes; math; computers, the Internet, and the information revolution; information needs and access; information cross-linking; information literacy; and hardware and software use. (LRW)

Over the last 15 years, surveys in a range of English-speaking countries, from North America and the United Kingdom, to New Zealand and Australia, have consistently shown that employers rank oral and written communication skills as highly as or more highly than any technical or quantitative skills. However, in New Zealand there has been very…

This article reports on doctoral research which explored the meaning and role of information literacy among a specific group of workers--firefighters. An alternative concept of information literacy and a broader definition of information literate people are introduced. The article suggests that librarians are currently bound by an educational…

This report examines the extent and nature of professional development required to meet the current and future needs of Workplace English Language and Literacy Programme practitioners. While the working environment for such practitioners is becoming more complex, with greater demands on them to have industry knowledge and project management…

Drawing on an ongoing project examining the literacies prevalent at an outsourcing site, this article explores the changing nature of workplace practices enabled by new information and communication technologies. It also examines the complex geopolitical dynamics of these practices, the discourses of development, and globalization. The author…

The purpose of the provincial ESL articulation process is to maintain high standards of quality in ESL programming at the public post-secondary institutions of British Columbia, as well as to facilitate access to programs at other public institutions for students wishing to transfer. Goals of the provincial articulation process are to: (1) provide…

A project examined five case studies of workplace literacy initiatives. The research sought to understand better what happens within workplace literacy programs--what are their premises and claims, their curricular stances, and their approach to teaching and learning--with the intent of resolving the basic question of whether vocational…

Developed as part of the ABCs of Construction National Workplace Literacy Project, this instructional module contains instructional materials designed to help students understand the concept of sequencing and develop basic sequencing skills. The module begins with a unit in which instructional materials dealing with the construction industry are…

Developed by the ABCs of Construction National Workplace Literacy Project, this fifth-grade level module teaches strategies for finding the meanings of compound words used in technical writing encountered by pipefitters. It also addresses working with words in context and finding definitions with a dictionary. Four exercises are provided. (YLB)