22
convergence: ontario
FONCE.CA: A NEW DIGITAL RESOURCE FOR FRANCOPHONE ADULTS
IN THE CONTEXT OF ONTARIO’S ECONOMIC RECOVERY B y G u y L e v e s q u e / / P ro j e c t C o o rd i n a t o r , C O FA
2017 – AT A CROSSROADS The Coalition ontarienne de formation des adultes (COFA) is at a crossroads with respect to French-language adult education and training in Ontario. As the flagship in this area in cooperation with colleges, school boards and communi ty skills centres, the COFA serves as a beacon of knowledge for adults and meets their needs by implementing training services for adults in Ontario, in line with the objectives of Employment Ontario’s Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) program. In particular, the F@D online training program, implemented in 2011, addresses the call for digital innovation to support the demand from its members, the community skills centres. You will see that the choice was strategic and beneficial given the outbreak of the pandemic in March 2020 and the lockdown, which required a digital infrastructure to sustain the need for training and, especially, course delivery. In October 2017, another digital pilot project for assessments and referrals was introduced and a portal was created to en hance accessibility for various French-speaking adult learn ers. This multi-service portal is intended for communities in
Northern Ontario and represents the culmination of research conducted over a period of three years (2014-2017) on the development of a model for a centre that provides informa tion, assessment and referral, called Centre d’information, d’évaluation et d’aiguillage (CIÉA). This model was developed in response to a desire to align the strategies, priorities and objectives sought by all government authorities dedicated to French-language adult education and training in Ontario. The COFA uses this aligned approach to ensure the effec tiveness and sustainability of its activities with learners. Aligning and coordinating services are paramount to de velop the French-language education and training contin uum with enhanced access to education and training for all Francophone adults in Ontario. Moreover, this alignment will help reduce duplication, promote complementarity of services, and optimize resources.
