The Canadian Online Training Platform for Essential Skills (PCFAD): A Winning Combination for Learners in Official Language Minority Communities

The Canadian Online Training Platform for Essential Skills (PCFAD):

A WINNING COMBINATION FOR LEARNERS IN OFFICIAL LANGUAGE MINORITY COMMUNITIES

By Michel Robillard // Project Coordinator, COFA

DISTANCE TRAINING IN ONTARIO

Since 1998, the Coalition ontarienne de formation des adultes (COFA) has been providing inperson skills development training services through its 26 members and 42 points of service. The organization has been providing distance training and blended training delivery services (combining classroom based and distance training) since September 2011.

When the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities mandated the COFA to develop a distance training program (F@D), this new way of educating learners was seen as a unique and strategic opportunity to offer an additional educational tool to Francophone adults that would bridge the digital divide.

The COFA’s intended audience consists of Francophone adults with literacy, numeracy and essential skills below level 3. The COFA and its members’ objective is to enable adults to reach a higher skill level than that at the beginning of their learning journey, commensurate with the targeted skill, in order to help them advance to level 3 proficiency. This level is deemed necessary to cope with the demands of daily life and work in a complex society and information and knowledgebased economy.

Based on their experience and expertise in using distance learning platforms and developing synchronous and asynchronous online training, the COFA and its members have designed a training program tailored to network practitioners and quality online training geared to the needs of learners. The andragogical approaches used and the tools developed over the years have proven to be effective because they are focused on learners and adapted to their life experiences.

The distance training platform and courses help learners develop crossdisciplinary skills. If, for example, an individual completes the Du français en quelques clics [available in French] course, and more specifically the module on participle agreement, they could receive some training on Antidote in the following week, where they would be asked to write a text with participles and then correct it using a software program. Training provided on the platform therefore allows learners to use a computer to log on, take online training and use a corrector to improve the quality of their texts. This rich and diversified experience helps learners develop new literacy and computer skills.

THE EXPERIENCE IN ONTARIO AND OFFICIAL LANGUAGE MINORITY COMMUNITIES

In the 2018 report entitled Développement de l’alphabétisme et des compétences essentielles (DACE) dans les communautés de langue officielle en situation minoritaire (CLOSM) — Analyse des besoins [unofficial English translation: Literacy and Essential Skills (LES) Development in Official Language Minority Communities (OLMCs) — Needs Analysis], commissioned by the Office of Literacy and Essential Skills (OLES), author Marc L. Johnson identifies issues facing OLMCs related to training on LES development, including geographic location, economic disparities, levels of education, aging population, immigration levels, lack of infrastructure and training capacity. As a solution to these issues, he suggests asymmetrical policies taking into account the needs of Francophone minorities, structured support, terms and conditions of training offerings, an integrated andragogical approach, a panCanadian sharing space, and the promotion and enhancement of LES development.

With this in mind and based on its own experience and the identical issues facing Ontario’s Francophone community, in 2018, the COFA recommended to the OLES to develop the Plateforme canadienne de formation à distance (PCFAD) [available in French]. This OLESfunded project aims to set up a Canadian platform for distance training in LES development in OLMCs, with partners who are interested in being part of the project.

This initiative is based on the principle of lifelong learning in all spheres of life and for everyone. However, special consideration is given to the development of a component that focuses on improving essential and generic skills related to

employability and local market demand, which help prepare workers for available jobs.

Similar to the F@D program in Ontario, this platform and the training it offers to learners in OLMCs is one of the tools that will help bridge the digital divide, namely the inequalities with respect to access to information and communication technologies, as well as their use and impact. In general, there are at least two stages of digital divide that are considered as such, including access to technology (first stage) and use of technology (second stage).

The PCFAD implementation project provides access to technological infrastructure and online training, while also bridging the digital divide for learners. Thus, this project not only addresses some of Marc L. Johnson’s findings but it also enables adult Francophones to access French training services at all times and from anywhere Internet connectivity is available.

Nonetheless, it would be presumptuous to think that this platform implementation project is a panacea that alone can bridge the digital divide within OLMCs. Other initiatives are also needed to address this issue, including Internet connectivity in remote locations.

The blended delivery model used by the COFA is a practice on which we are continuing to build through this project in order to reach individuals with low digital literacy skills. Project partners working in the provinces are therefore able to welcome and accompany individuals in person or remotely to help them begin using technology.

PROJECT STATUS

The PCFAD implementation project brings together adult education and training institutions and organizations serving Francophone minority communities. These partners are the Collège de l’Île in Prince Edward Island, the Collège Mathieu in Saskatchewan, the Équipe d’alphabétisationNouvelleÉcosse in Nova Scotia, the Learning Centre Literacy Association in Alberta, the Plurielles organization in Manitoba, and the Coalition ontarienne de formation des adultes in Ontario, which is running the project. Despite the significant challenges arising due to the pandemic and the numerous sanitary restrictions facing the project team and partners, all the milestones for the PCFAD implementation project are in place. In summary:

› Partners are very well placed within their sector and hold a good image in their community. › The positioning and reputation of partners ensure credibility and trust. › Partners underline the positive dynamics of collaboration between them and the COFA, which is responsible for managing the project as a whole. › The project is defined by how it adapts the model and approaches to the various provincial realities, and by the transfer of knowledge and expertise among project partners. › Three cohorts are already active. › More learners are expected to join in the coming weeks. › The technical trial period has come to an end. The practitioners and PCFAD team meet weekly to facilitate future learning sessions and operations related to the database’s core aspects. › Promotional and campaign materials have been produced, distributed and deployed.

Consequently, the PCFAD is becoming an invaluable resource in the area of remote training for the Francophone community in Canada. t