Changes in the U.S. economy are altering employment patterns, and these changes have implications for workers whose language is other than English. This digest summarizes the existing types of programs that prepare English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) adults for the workplace or help workers whose first language is other than English who are already…

In April 1992, 16 individuals who were all employed in manual or nonsupervisory jobs and who had all participated in employer-funded adult education courses offered partly or entirely during work hours attended a weekend retreat in the north of England. They spent the weekend talking and writing about their experiences with work-based learning,…

This checklist was developed to be used for evaluating and enhancing the performance of established workplace education programs. With minor modifications, the document also may be useful for evaluating other types of training and education programs. Management, labor, and education partners may use the checklist as a stand-alone evaluation…

This checklist was designed to be used in developing new workplace education initiatives and enhancing established programs. The checklist is organized in four sections that cover the following topics: (1) program design and administration indicators; (2) participant achievement indicators; (3) program outcome indicators; and (4) evaluation tools.…

This workbook, designed for workplace literacy courses, contains materials for a course on documentation. The six sessions of the course cover the following topics: (1) general principles of procedure writing; (2) principles of clear communication (clarity, audience, visuals) and identification of systems types, accounts, and customer requests;…

The 1990 U.S. Department of Labor Survey (DOL) of Workplace Literacy (WL) assessed the WL levels of applicants eligible for Job Training Partnership Act (JTPA) training and of job seekers in Employment Service/Unemployment Insurance (ES/UI) programs. Data from the survey, including WL proficiency scores and data concerning respondents'…

Four community colleges in North Carolina cooperated to provide workplace literacy education to employees of eight plants in the state. The target population for the program was 710 adults who had not completed high school or who were functioning below high school level who were employed at one of the industry sites. The Comprehensive Adult…

A project was conducted to improve the productivity and efficiency of 10 manufacturers by providing workplace literacy instruction to workers lacking basic skills required for their jobs, and to improve the capability of educational programs to meet the basic skill needs of the manufacturing industry by developing an evaluation manual for basic…

The Saskatchewan Federation of Labor (SFL) conducted a Workers' Education for Skills Training, or WEST Program, to upgrade its membership's basic literacy skills. The purpose of the WEST Program was to develop, ensure access to, and build support for a workplace literacy program designed to meet the diverse needs of affiliates' members. Six…

A study was conducted to analyze the impact of employee illiteracy on Canadian businesses. The opinions of 626 vice presidents of human resources or general managers were collected in a random sample of 2,000 Canadian establishments with more than 50 employees and 300 head offices of larger firms (25 percent return). The information was…

This booklet provides an overview of some projects and initiatives funded by the National Literacy Program in Canada in 1989-90. Many have been supported as well by the provinces and territories, community organizations, business, or labor organizations. The booklet also contains a sample of the activities of other federal departments and agencies…

This guide examines organized labor's views on adult literacy. It also describes several union-sponsored workplace education programs and suggests how a union can plan and operate a worker-centered literacy program. The book is organized in three parts. The first part examines workplace literacy in four chapters that cover the following: the…

Media reports suggest widespread illiteracy among adults who may not be able to read, write, speak, or otherwise communicate competently enough to meet the demands of modern society. There is no consensus on the definition of illiteracy or supporting statistics. According to the U.S. Department of Education, the adult illiteracy rate is 13…

A study of why adult literacy students stopped attending beginning reading tutorial programs was conducted at nine sites that were part of the Pittsburgh Literacy Initiative. A total of 192 adults were identified as having discontinued their reading programs, all of which were one-on-one tutorial programs. The reading level of these dropouts had…

The Massachusetts Workplace Education Initiative was established in 1986 to create 6 model workplace literacy education programs and later expanded, with state and federal funding, to more than 20 programs at over 40 worksites. The initiative was developed in response to the growing recognition of functional illiteracy in an increasingly complex…