This two-part document reports the results of a literature review of workplace literacy program evaluation and then details a study of two current workplace literacy programs. The five chapters of the first part summarize findings on what is known about workplace literacy programs, methods for evaluating workplace literacy programs, assessing…

An external evaluation was made of the Competitive Skills Project, a National Workplace Literacy Program carried out in partnership between El Camino College and BP Chemicals. Among the problems identified were the following: (1) because the original director and his successor left the project, the original evaluation design could not be…

This document is one of a series of student workbooks developed for workplace skill development courses or workshops by Mercer County Community College (New Jersey) and its partners. Designed to help customer service employees who use the telephone in a hospital, this telephone tips course discusses dealing politely and effectively with callers…

This guide is intended for use in a level 2 course in English as a second language that was developed as a component of a workplace literacy program for persons employed in the manufacturing and service industries. The course is structured so that, upon its completion, students will be able to accomplish the following: ask grammatically correct…

This module provides information on development and use of a Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) software program that seeks to link literacy skills education, safety training, and human-centered design. Section 1 discusses the development of the software program that helps workers understand the MSDSs that accompany the chemicals with which they…

A workplace literacy program for garment workers is described and evaluated. The program, a partnership between El Paso Community College (Texas) and Levi Strauss & Company, consisted of a three-level, job-specific, video-based curriculum for limited-English-speaking employees implemented at seven plants in El Paso. The 18-month model…

Project EXCEL is a federally-funded workplace literacy program involving hotel enterprises in the San Francisco (California) Bay area. Its focus is on identification and instruction of literacy skills essential to job success for limited-English-proficient (LEP) workers. Training is intended to enable employees to understand written work orders,…

A review of current research on workplace literacy programs reveals few programs reporting rigorous evaluations. Assessments are often limited to the completion of questionnaires, surveys of program participants, and anecdotal reports of effectiveness. Occasionally, a standardized reading test provides an indication of learner gains. Only a few…

Up to 10 percent of U.S. workers are either functionally illiterate or marginally literate. These workers increase the operational costs of their employers and restrain companies' flexibility. The high school graduates of the 1990s will exacerbate the problem by entering the work force with marginal literacy skills. A survey of 1,600 manufacturing…

The curriculum presented in this document outlines essential issues and content for a workplace/English-as-a-Second-Language literacy program, and was written for use by educators, funders, and administrators. The curriculum begins with a brief list of broad based practitioner resources to serve as a point of departure for program design and…

A general increase in the demand for workplace basic skills mirrors the general increase in societal basic skills demands. As a result, many adults are participating in second-chance basic skills education. Second-chance basic skills programs are offered by a wide variety of providers, but populations actually served by programs rarely amount to…

This document considers whether postsecondary education can change the way it operates. The introduction identifies six challenges of the 1990s, including heterogeneous student populations; quality of working life competence, basic competence, employability competence, learning-to-learn competence, common core competencies, and the arts and…

This magazine, created by local units of the International Ladies' Garment Workers' Union (ILGWU) through its Worker-Family Education Program, is a collection of personal opinions, reports, and creative writing with illustrations. Articles include: an interview with a fellow union member; statements on aspects of the culture of native countries;…

This document consists of 11 issues of a workplace and job-skills information newsletter specifically designed for adult education program practitioners and their students. The issues are preceded by a final report on the project. The purposes of the newsletter were to disseminate "hands-on" career and job development information of…

Based on a program conducted by Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute, Hudson, North Carolina, this handbook provides guidelines and suggestions for developing a workplace literacy program. The handbook is organized in four sections. The first section introduces the idea of developing a workplace literacy program, including…