Levelling up: Succeeding through investments in adult literacy & essential skills

Levelling Up Succeeding through investments in adult literacy & essential skills

APRIL 2013 FINAL REPORT

The Public Policy Forum is an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to improving the quality of government in Canada through enhanced dialogue among the public, private and voluntary sectors.

The Forum’s members, drawn from business, federal, provincial and territorial governments, the voluntary sector and organized labour, share a belief that an efficient and effective public service is important in ensuring Canada’s competitiveness abroad and quality of life at home.

Established in 1987, the Forum has earned a reputation as a trusted, nonpartisan facilitator, capable of bringing together a wide range of stakeholders in productive dialogue. Its research program provides a neutral base to inform collective decision making. By promoting information sharing and greater links between governments and other sectors, the Forum helps ensure public policy in our country is dynamic, coordinated and responsive to future challenges and opportunities.

© 2013, Public Policy Forum & Canadian Literacy and Learning Network 1405-130 Albert St. 342A Elgin Street Ottawa, ON K1P 5G4 Ottawa, ON K2P 1M6 Tel: (613) 238-7160 Tel: (613) 563-2464 Fax: (613) 238-7990 Fax: (613) 563-2504 www.ppforum.ca www.literacy.ca

ISBN: 978-1-927009-45-1 Written by James McLean, Research Associate, Public Policy Forum

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Table of Contents The project ............................................................................................................................................. 1 A letter from the roundtable co-chairs .................................................................................................. 2 Introduction ........................................................................................................................................... 3 Investing in adult literacy and essential skills ........................................................................................ 4 What is meant by literacy and essential skills? ..................................................................................... 4 Defining literacy and essential skills............................................................................................... 4 The need to support literacy development from a government perspective ............................... 4 The literacy continuum .................................................................................................................. 6 Why are literacy and essential skills important? ........................................................................... 6 Why are adult literacy and essential skills an investment? ........................................................... 6 Where is the best ROI? ................................................................................................................... 7 The challenges in improving literacy and essential skills levels ............................................................. 8 Pathways for investing in human capital ............................................................................................... 9 Developing a coordinated, multi-sectoral strategic framework.......................................................... 12 Appendix I. List of participants............................................................................................................ 15

The project The Canadian Literacy and Learning Network (CLLN) desired input from key stakeholders to identify opportunities for collaboration on the value of workforce literacy and essential skills training within the context of today’s ongoing economic challenges, particularly: productivity, competitiveness, and skills and labour shortages. CLLN commissioned Canada’s Public Policy Forum (PPF) to convene two roundtables, one in Ottawa and the other in Toronto (Mississauga).

To set the scene at both roundtables, CLLN shared a presentation about its recent report, Investing in Upskilling: Gains for Individuals, Employers and Government. Following the presentation, participants discussed the value of collaboration on the issue of literacy and essential Skills for the workplace.

Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters hosted the second roundtable—our thanks for this contribution.

This report, prepared by CLLN and PPF, summarizes the results from the two roundtables.

Canadian Literacy and Learning Network is the national hub for research, information and knowledge exchange, increasing literacies and essential skills across Canada. CLLN, a non-profit charitable organization, represents literacy coalitions, organizations and individuals in every province and territory in Canada. We share knowledge, engage partners and stakeholders and build awareness to advance literacy and learning across Canada. We believe that literacy and learning should be valued – at home, in the workplace and in the community. Funded by—and working in collaboration with—Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, we provide leadership, knowledge and expertise about literacy and essential skills, while developing effective partnerships with stakeholders across Canada.CLLN is funded by the Government of Canada’s Office of Literacy and Essential Skills For more information, visit www.literacy.ca.

Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (CME) is Canada's largest trade and industry association, and the voice of manufacturing and global business in Canada.

Founded in 1871, the association directly represents more than 10,000 leading companies nationwide — 85 per cent of which are small and medium-sized enterprises. As Canada's leading business network, CME — through various initiatives, including the establishment of the Canadian Manufacturing Coalition — touches more than 100,000 companies from coast to coast, engaged in manufacturing, international trade, and service-related industries. CME's membership network accounts for an estimated 82 per cent of Canadian manufacturing production and 90 per cent of goods and services exports. For more information, visit www.cme-mec.ca.

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A letter from the roundtable co-chairs Literacy and essential skills are crucial for a strong national economy. Across the country, leaders from industry associations, together with private, public, non-profit and academic sectors, recognize that Canada faces a significant skills gap that threatens to impede our growth, productivity and global competitiveness.

Many Canadians are unaware that 43% of adults in Canada—approximately 9 million people—could benefit from upgrading their skills to beome more proficient at accessing information, thinking critically, writing clearly, doing arithmetic and communicating effectively.

During our adult literacy and essential skills roundtable series, a multi-sector approach for improving skills in our country emerged as the best option for leveraging the resources needed to address this challenge. The Canadian Literacy and Learning Network’s (CLLN) recent Upskilling: Gains for Individuals, Employers and Government report demonstrates that strategic investments that focus on training people with low skills could generate substantial returns, not only for individuals but also for businesses, governments and the economy as a whole. These and other recent findings suggest that we need to start thinking as investors on this issue.

This report highlights the key findings from our recent Ottawa and Toronto roundtable discussions, and provides practical, actionable recommendations for moving this important policy dialogue forward.

Roundtable participants indicated that Canada’s skills shortage is one of our most pressing concerns and that we can no longer afford to ignore this critical human capital challenge. Action from all sectors is required.

Lindsay Kennedy President & CEO Canadian Literacy and Learning Network

Julie Cafley Vice President Canada’s Public Policy Forum

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Introduction In the winter of 2012-13, Canada’s Public Policy Forum (PPF) and the Canadian Literacy and Learning Network (CLLN), with the support of Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME), convened two roundtable discussions to explore whether and how a multi-sector approach could improve adult literacy and essential skills levels in our country.1 These sessions brought together senior government, business, academic, association, non-profit and labour leaders to identify the key human capital challenges and opportunities facing organizations across Canada. To help guide this important and timely dialogue, participants explored the findings of CLLN’s report, Investing in Upskilling: gains for individuals, employers and government. Opening comments were provided by Johanna Faulk, Executive Director of the Centre for Workplace Skills, and Joanne Heighway, Vice President of Organizational Excellence at CME. The discussions were moderated by Julie Cafley, Vice President of PPF and Lindsay Kennedy, President and CEO of the CLLN. Scott Murray, President of DataAngel, provided keynote presentations.

At both the Ottawa and Toronto roundtables, there was widespread agreement that greater collaboration among all sectors would allow leaders to share costs and leverage resources. Participants also agreed that investments in adult literacy, particularly among those who have the lowest skill levels, would generate a significant return on investment (ROI) in terms of producing higher revenues, reduced costs for governments, and a more competitive Canadian workforce. Above all else, there is growing recognition that a more concerted and collaborative approach is necessary for moving forward with the policy dialogue on adult literacy and essential skills.

This report explores the key issues, case studies and areas of consensus that were explored during our roundtable series. During both discussions, participants focused on four central themes that form the structure of this report: 

the benefits of investing in adult literacy and essential skills development;

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the significant human capital challenges facing Canadian leaders;

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the opportunities for multi-sector collaboration; and,

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the potential utility of adopting a more coordinated, policy-driven approach.

1

For more information, on literacy and essential skills, please visit: http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/LES/definitions/definitions.shtml

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Investing in adult literacy & essential skills What is meant by literacy and essential skills?

The Canadian Literacy and Learning Network has adopted the following definition of literacy put forward

by United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO): Literacy is the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate, compute and use printed and written materials associated with varying contexts. Literacy involves a continuum of learning to enable an individual to achieve his or her goals, to develop his or her knowledge and potential, and to participate fully in the wider society. — UNESCO The term “essential skills” was developed by the federal government, in consultation with key stakeholders, to identify skills embedded in tasks in the workplace. They provide a common language that educators, employers and service providers can use to discuss the foundational skills required to learn all other skills. Literacy is encompassed in four of the essential skills: reading, writing, document use and numeracy.

The literacy community refers to essential skills as “velcro skills” that enable other knowledge and learning to “stick.” It is widely accepted that for individuals to function effectively in society and the economy, they need to have good essential skills and high literacy levels. Individuals also need to have confidence in their own abilities; this is often an outcome of improving literacy and essential skills.

The literacy and essential skills field needs to continue to promote a common understanding of essential skills among employers. The Essential Skills in Canadian Workplaces final report states that awareness of the term “essential skills” seems high, with nearly 4 in 10 employers stating they are very familiar with the term2. On the other hand, a large majority of employers who think they are familiar with the term believe that it is most accurately defined as the minimum skill set needed for a specific position. In fact, only one in six understand the term as it has been defined by the Government of Canada.

The need to support literacy development from a government perspective In 1994-95, Canada participated in the first multi-country, multi-language assessment of adult literacy called the International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) in which literacy was measured in terms of prose, document, and quantitative literacy. Literacy was defined as “the ability to understand and employ printed information in daily activities at home, at work and in the community, to achieve one’s goals and to develop one’s knowledge and potential.” Level three (out of five) was identified as being the

2

POR-318-06, Essential Skills in Canadian Workplaces, EKOS Research Associates for HRSDC, 2007

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minimum level required for an individual to function adequately in Canadian society; 43% of Canadians between the ages of 16 and 65 scored below this level.

In 2003, The International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey (IALSS) measured proficiency in four skill domains: prose literacy, document literacy, numeracy and problem-solving. It found that skill levels had not increased significantly from the 1994 survey.

In October 2013, the OECD will release its latest findings from the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), a comprehensive survey that assesses key skill and competency levels required to “participate in society and for economies to prosper”. It builds upon the earlier understanding of literacy, and defines it as “the ability to identify, understand, interpret, create, communicate and compute, using printed and written materials associated with varying contexts.” The survey uses a broad range of indicators, including literacy (prose literacy and document literacy), basic reading (decoding skills, vocabulary knowledge etc.), numeracy and problem-solving in a technology-rich environment. The focus will be on the key cognitive and workplace skills that are required for successful participation in the economy and in society. The measure will also rank each of the 25 participating OECD countries by the strengths and weaknesses of their education programs.

In addition to the above surveys, the national Essential Skills Research Project (ESRP), examined workplace skills, or “essential skills”, by conducting more than 3,000 interviews with people employed in 180 occupations. A total of nine skills were identified as being essential to access and maintain jobs; and to succeed within the workforce. The first four skills in this set incorporated literacy skills as defined and measured through the international surveys. Together, the nine skills, identified as being essential both within the workforce and the community, are known as “literacy and essential skills.” They include:        

Reading Writing Document use Numeracy Computer use (now called digital skills) Thinking skills (includes problem solving, decision making, critical thinking, job task planning/organizing, significant use of memory, and finding information) Oral communication Working with others3

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Additional information on these skills and the profiles that are aligned with occupational competencies is available at http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/LES/definitions/definitions.shtml.

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The literacy continuum In Canada, adult literacy does not simply mean the ability to read or write. It is, in fact, a continuum of required skill levels based on current needs of a global economy. It is for this reason that, in its definition of literacy, the upcoming 2013 PIAAC survey includes the skills of computing, creating, and communicating. It measures many of the modern-day competencies identified under the term, “literacy and essential skills,” and places them within the context of a work environment.

Within the workforce, however, “literacy” is often associated with its more traditional definition, which is negative and discriminatory. In the past, the term “basic skills” was common. Today, some programs use the term “essential skills” without the word “literacy.” Others prefer the word “learning”, as in “continuous learning.” The language used can have a major influence on perception, and needs to be carefully considered. The fear is that if “literacy” is omitted from “essential skills,” the support for a large group of the population functioning at levels 1 and 2 might be lost.

Why are literacy and essential skills important?

Literacy and essential skills are necessary for an individual’s success and a country’s economic development. Literacy and essential skills impact family well-being, uptake of learning opportunities, entry to the workforce and the application of changing demands by the workforce. Employees need to have strong literacy and essential skills to be able to deal with difficult economic climates and adapt to opportunities in growth sectors and new occupations. Employers need employees with strong literacy and essential skills. This is critical, especially now, in a time of rapidly changing technologies and work environments. Labour and skills shortages compound these issues. Businesses need to be able to adapt to changing markets and new technologies. A skilled workforce is critical if these changes are to be made in a timely manner. This is the impetus we need to increase the number of workplace Literacy and essential skills programs and find ways to promote upskilling.

Why are adult literacy and essential skills an investment?

As explored in Investing in Upskilling, investments in human capital have significant economic and social benefits for business, government and individuals. Improving human capital allows governments to save on social support programs and collect additional income taxes through higher employment rates. More specifically, CLLN’s report identifies several areas where targeted investments in adult literacy and essential skills would produce a sizeable ROI for governments. They include: 

Social assistance enrolment across Canada would be reduced by 84,000 if Canadians’ literacy levels were increased to OECD recommended standards for internationally competitive productivity.

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Direct annual savings resulting from an assumed one-time $29 billion investment in upskilling Canadian adults 16 and older would be $2.92 billion: $330 million on Employment Insurance, $2.1 billion on Social Assistance, and $490 million on Workers Compensation.

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Investment in upskilling Canadians would increase earnings by $85.25 billion, or an average of $3,244/worker annually.

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Tax revenue and program savings would increase annual fiscal return for governments in Canada by 425%.4

The private sector also stands to benefit from greater investments in adult literacy and essential skills programs. By offering internal training programs, businesses are well positioned to build and retain a competitive workforce that is more productive, works safely and is loyal. Participants agreed that leaders need to see literacy and essential skills programs as the valuable investments they are.

Where is the best ROI? Businesses and governments who wish to improve adult literacy and essential skills will receive the highest rate of return with programs that train the lowest skilled individuals. Participants stated that these individuals disproportionately include indigenous people and immigrants, two demographic groups that may not have as many opportunities for training and education as other Canadians.

Further, stakeholders can attain a high ROI by focusing on K-12 students throughout the country. With almost 40% of high school students leaving school at literacy levels 1 and 2, too many individuals find it difficult to secure and maintain employment in Canada’s knowledge economy. In dollar terms the earnings loss due to the rise in youth unemployment is equivalent to $10.7 billion. Without intervention the loss due to scarring5 is equivalent to $12.4 billion. This adds up to a $23 billion over 18 years.

Through better programs that increase literacy levels in high-risk individuals – specifically indigenous people, new Canadians and K-12 students with skills below level 3 – business and governments stand to benefit economically through a more innovative workforce that relies less on social assistance.

4

Note: The CLLN report is focused on reducing the need for wage support programs by improving the literacy and essential skills of Canadians. It does not promote removing wage support for those who need it.

5 “Scarring” refers to the effect that persistent unemployment can have on the future earning potential of individuals, even after finding employment. Scarring can have critical and long-lasting effects on a country’s macroeconomic prosperity.

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The challenges in improving literacy and essential skills levels According to participants, there is reason to believe that the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) test results will not show improvements for Canada: the most recent International Adult Literacy Skills Survey, released in 2005, showed that 43% of Canadians over the age of 16, or approximately 9 million people, have literacy skills below level 3.6 These individuals would benefit from upskilling by becoming more proficient at accessing information, thinking critically, writing clearly and communicating effectively.

Low literacy skills are a significant contributor to social inequality and a major barrier for Canadians who are trying to complete an apprenticeship. As technologies and expertise used in the trades become increasingly complex, these positions7 now require higher-level thinking and skills for which more advanced literacy and numeracy are essential. Individuals with low literacy levels have disproportionately fewer opportunities to work, acquire transferable skills and compete for well-paying work. As one participant noted, “in Canada, low skilled jobs no longer exist; literacy and essential skills are the foundation upon which to learn and participate in society.”

The number of Canadians with low literacy skills, combined with the resulting social inequalities, will have a significant impact on the Canadian economy over the coming decades. Canada’s ability to compete in both domestic and global markets depends upon the ingenuity, productivity and competitiveness of our workforce. And, according to our roundtable participants, the absence of a coordinated plan to improve Canadians’ basic skill levels means that countries like China – with established policies to bring 150 million people up to literacy levels 3, 4 and 5 over the next two decades – will be better positioned to compete for jobs and provide innovative services and products.

While discussing how to better educate and train Canadians, participants identified a number of key challenges that will have to be overcome: 

The need to focus on high-risk individuals: Too often, education providers focus exclusively on individuals who already have moderate-to-high literacy levels, leaving few options for high-risk individuals with low literacy skills. Participants noted that investing in individuals with the lowest literacy levels actually has a greater ROI in terms of personal, social and economic benefits.

Examples of high-risk individuals include: indigenous people, new Canadians and at-risk K-12 students leaving school with level 1 or 2 literacy skills.

6

Literacy levels are scored from 1 (lowest) to 5 (strong). “Level 3” is the internationally recognized point at which a person can adequately cope with the demands of everyday life and work in an advanced society.

7 Participants specifically mentioned boiler-makers, millwrights, construction workers, welders and electricians as professions that are facing extreme labour shortages due to an absence of skills. For further discussion on the challenges facing these professions, please see Rick Miner’s report, “People without jobs, jobs without people” http://www.collegesontario.org/research/research_reports/people-without-jobs-jobs-without-people-final.pdf

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The disconnect between the supply and demand of skills: Although Canada has one of the most educated populations in the world, many are not being trained with the essential skills and knowledge required for jobs that are in high demand. Participants suggested that business, government, labour, colleges and universities should consider working closely together to identify how best to prepare students with the practical knowledge they will require to compete in the workplace.

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The diffusion of effort across sectors: Despite the fact that low adult literacy and essential skills levels are cited by Canadian employers as being the biggest obstacle they face, many try to address this issue alone, in silos, or elect to wait until other sectors take the lead. During our roundtable discussions, there was consensus among participants that a concerted multi-sectoral approach is needed to frame the issues, raise awareness among decision-makers, and identify and implement potential solutions.

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The need for greater understanding: Our understanding of the challenges we face determines the solutions we consider and implement. Unfortunately, there is a lack of understanding among business leaders, policymakers, academics and the general public over literacy levels and their impact on the Canadian economy. Therefore, participants stated that stakeholders will need to clearly articulate the terms, opportunities and challenges that are central to the discussion on improving literacy and essential skills levels in Canada.

Leaders from all sectors need to build greater public awareness of the issues, as well as the potential economic and social opportunities, underlying literacy in Canada. Stakeholders need to better communicate to the general public the economic and social benefits that result from adult literacy and essential skills programs. Although many intuitively recognize the value of K12 and post-secondary education, participants acknowledged that the advantages of education programs for adults have been more difficult to convey.

Many individuals with low literacy skills develop good coping strategies for carrying out their day-to-day activities. However, they often have difficulty understanding training materials, problem solving and using charts and diagrams. Unfortunately, many adults with low literacy levels have no way to judge the adequacy of their skills, a fact that can cause them to underinvest in training.

Pathways for investing in human capital Roundtable participants were divided over which model would best improve the status of adult literacy and essential skills in Canada. Some favoured a federal-provincial national skills and education program that uses governments’ vast resources and ability to attract expertise from business, labour, academia, non-profit agencies, adult literacy organizations and associations. Others, citing the current era of austerity, suggested that the federal government may be reluctant to take the lead on new national

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projects, suggesting that business, labour, and other sectors may have to take additional steps to invest in their employees.

Despite this difference of opinion, participants found consensus on two key points: First, since resources are fragmented and all sectors benefit from a more educated citizenry, any solution must be both multisectoral and collaborative. Second, multi-sector literacy initiatives can be, and indeed have been, successful without governments as the lead partner. In fact, participants suggested that governments may be more willing to join a literacy initiative if they are treated as an equal member. Such an arrangement could assuage government leaders’ political and budgetary concerns.

There are a number of encouraging actions that leaders could take to help frame an adult education action plan that is shared among all stakeholders, including: 

Using the expertise of literacy and essential skills professionals: Literacy organizations, including CLLN, Frontier College and the Centre for Workplace Skills, have extensive knowledge of the issues relating to upskilling literacy and essential skills. This expertise is invaluable when it comes to designing policies, strategies, systems or programs.

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Leveraging resources: Literacy and essential skills programs that are in existence across the country can be instrumental in upskilling Canadians. Another case in point is the American Federation of Labour and Congress of Industrial Organizations (AFL-CIO), which runs over 300 centres across Canada to educate and train its members. With support from literacy and essential skills experts, government, business and labour, these centres could also provide Canadians with the literacy and essential skills programs they need in the workplace. These examples illustrate how stakeholders could leverage existing infrastructure and programs in ways that save costs and reach more people.

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Building partnerships: Increasingly, college and university leaders recognize that their institutions must be more responsive to the needs of the business community. Many postsecondary institutions are now building relationships to ensure that they train students with the competencies required for jobs that are in demand. One participant provided an example where a prominent business leader asked his private sector members to build closer relationships with their local colleges and universities to improve learning programs, information sharing, and collaboration. Another participant explained how their academic institution is working closely with trades organizations to identify students who are not completing their apprenticeships due to low literacy and numeracy skills. The organization then designs targeted programs that teach these students essential skills through the provision of additional education programs.

Collaboration with the literacy and essential skills field could provide other stakeholders with the necessary background knowledge and best practices needed for incorporating literacy and essential skills into programming.

Business and non-profit leaders may also wish to partner with provincial governments as they develop new programs to address their unique labour market challenges. Through the Labour

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Market Development Agreement (LMDA)8 and Labour Market Agreement (LMA) programs, the federal government is providing provincial governments with resources to improve skill levels and competencies. Leaders from` across sectors may wish to work closely with their provincial government to evaluate the current implementation of these programs, and identify areas where they can be improved.

Governments, businesses, industry associations, colleges, universities, labour groups, non-profit organizations, and literacy and essential skills knowledge brokers, such as CLLN, all recognize that Canada has a skills shortage challenge that no one sector can address on its own. Many agree that a more focused multi-sector approach is necessary and should include leaders in the K-12 system. Whether programs are designed at the national or regional level, relationshipbuilding between the private and public sectors will be essential for improving literacy, numeracy and essential skills levels in our country. 

Adopting and integrating training programs: As Canadian leaders determine how they will improve literacy and essential skills in our country, it will be important to identify which business model(s) will allow them to achieve their desired goals. For example, stakeholders may wish to consider the findings of a recently completed report by Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters (CME) and Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC), which identifies specific cases where multi-sector partnerships are delivering successful workplace skills programs.9 Another model that employers may wish to consider is the integration of literacy and essential skills training into existing health and workplace safety programs. These arrangements leverage resources, save employers the cost of designing new programs and have proven successful in improving employees’ skill levels.

By identifying and adapting training programs that have been successful, leaders can be better positioned to learn key lessons as they consider whether and how they might frame a broader, national approach for improving literacy and essential skills.

8

LMDA programs assist individuals on employment insurance find work through sector specific services and initiatives. LMAs provides similar programs and services to individuals who are traditionally under-represented in the labour force, specifically those who have low skills and/or are ineligible for Employment Insurance.

9 Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters (2012). Business Results through Essential Skills and Literacy. Accessed online at: http://www.cme-mec.ca/pdf/Business_Results_Through_Essential_Skills_and_Literacy.pdf

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Developing a coordinated, multi-sectoral strategic framework 1. Forming a multi-sectoral consortium Greater levels of understanding and coordination are needed among stakeholders. Participants of both roundtables agreed that no one sector can be expected to address the literacy and essential skills challenges that span Canadian society. There was also consensus that a coordinated response would better position stakeholders to raise awareness of this issue among key decision-makers and the general public. Therefore, participants recommended that an adult literacy and essential skills consortium should be convened with leaders from government, business, academia, literacy organizations, labour and associations. This group could work together to share resources, identify and execute strategies and, potentially, speak with a single voice on issues related to adult literacy and essential skills.

The roundtables have been Phase One of a multiphase strategy to increase collaboration and develop working relationships with key stakeholders in order to address Literacy and Essential Skills issues. In Phase Two, participants from the roundtables will be invited by CLLN to attend a follow-up planning meeting to encapsulate the vision, strategy and process needed to move towards the creation of a consortium. This will be a collaborative process and will be built on the input and suggestions of stakeholders. Stakeholders will begin to identify roles and responsibilities. In Phase Three, CLLN and other stakeholders will seek to create a consortium that will act on the vision and strategy outlined in the Phase Two planning meeting.

2. Better communication of the terms, challenges and opportunities Effectively communicating the need for literacy and essential skills is vital. A communication plan that is in keeping with the objectives of the consortium should be developed. It should be formulated, with input from key stakeholders, in such a way that all parts can be adopted separately, in manageable chunks, but can also be seen as part of the whole.

Terms and definitions that are central to the adult literacy and essential skills discussion have not been well understood or commonly used. As a result, many employers do not recognize the challenges they face or are not able to identify potential solutions that can rectify them. Fostering a clearer understanding of literacy levels, their influence on workplace productivity, the scope of the challenge and some potential solutions is needed for moving forward this increasingly important policy discussion. Therefore, a key task for stakeholders is considering how they might raise awareness and bring together leaders so they can take action to raise literacy and essential skills levels in our country. It is important to speak in economic terms, using language that has meaning for employers. However, the benefits of an increased bottom line should be tied in with promoting

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the concept of “workplace of choice” that arises when businesses operate with a learning culture that promotes increased skills through training.

3. Identifying potential solutions Although Canada’s literacy and essential skills challenges are often varied due to regional and industry circumstances, many leaders would still benefit from a concerted approach that finds adaptable solutions. Therefore, a key task for the adult literacy and essential skills consortium should be to highlight domestic and international cases where leaders have been successful in raising skill levels. The consortium could identify the structure of each program, including the business and funding models, and whether and how they could be adapted across Canada. Using these case studies as a guide, the consortium could identify several solutions or policy actions for decision makers and leaders to adapt and implement.

Participants suggested that stakeholders should also identify exactly how each sector can contribute to improving adult literacy and essential skills in our country. Clearly stating how financial institutions, colleges, governments and other organizations can add value to literacy and essential skills projects will resolve ongoing ambiguity around expectations and help to initiate a process of resource-sharing. This would be a key component of the mandate of a multi-sectoral consortium.

Literacy organizations may also need to build on existing partnerships in ways that leverage resources, networks and expertise. Participants suggested that by working more closely together and focusing attention on specific niches, these organizations could improve engagement and generate significant tangible results in key areas.

The consortium may also wish to review the costs associated with upgrading Canadians’ skills, possibly through pilot projects.

4. Framing the narrative Participants agreed that a concerted approach for addressing Canada’s adult literacy and essential skills challenges will require a coordinated communications strategy. Raising awareness of the importance and immediacy of this human capital issue is an essential first step for bringing together leaders and resources. By working together under a common framework, stakeholders would be better positioned to produce new datasets, disseminate myth-busting statements, share personal stories of struggle and success, and better communicate the impact of adult literacy levels on employers and the Canadian economy.

Further, participants agreed that the potential communications strategy should be a sustained message that conveys a sense of immediacy and brings together the “isolated voices” working on these issues across the country.

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5. Using key events Stakeholders need to better leverage events and policy discussions in ways that raise awareness of Canada’s adult literacy and essential skills challenges. For example, each year in the lead up to the release of the federal budget, public officials and the news media are engaged in policy discussions that have important implications for government funding and programs.

Stakeholders will be presented with another opportunity to contribute to Canada’s literacy and essential skills discussion when the OECD releases its PIAAC survey findings in October 2013.

Although Canada’s placement in the survey is expected to remain unchanged from previous surveys, participants suggested that the release of the PIAAC survey findings will be a significant opportunity for stakeholders to initiate a broader national dialogue on the importance of improving adult literacy and essential skills levels in our country.

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Appendix I. List of participants Adult literacy & essential skills The case for investment Ottawa roundtable discussion – December 4, 2012 Toronto roundtable discussion – January 24, 2013

Lance Anderchuk Manager, Policy & Planning Office of Literacy and Essential Skills Human Resources and Skills Development Canada Jonathan Allen Deputy Director, Education Branch Program Directorate Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Canada

Julie Cafley Vice-President Public Policy Forum Sherry Campbell President Frontier College Nancy Coulas Director Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters

Katharina Angler Policy Analyst Polytechnics Canada

Maria Daginis Director, Employer Advocacy Council Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters

Sarah Anson-Cartwright Director, Skills Policy Canadian Chamber of Commerce

Johanna Faulk Executive Director Centre for Workplace Skills

Noel Baldwin Coordinator, Postsecondary Education Council of Ministers of Education, Canada

Marie-Lison Fougère Assistant Deputy Minister Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities

Joe Blomeley Policy Analyst Canadian Council of Chief Executives

Linda Franklin President and CEO Colleges Ontario

Isabelle Boucher Education Officer, Literacy Program CUPE National Office

Joanne Heighway Vice President, Organizational Excellence Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters

Barbara Byers Executive Vice-President Canadian Labour Congress

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Brent Herbert-Copley Vice-President, Research Capacity Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Lindsay Kennedy President & CEO Canadian Literacy and Learning Network Scott Murray President Data Angel Suzanne Noga Manager, People Planning City of Mississauga Anne-Marie Robinson President Public Service Commission of Canada Larry Rousseau Regional Executive Vice President, National Capital Region Public Service Alliance of Canada Ron Samson Research Assistant Essential Skills Ontario

Christopher Smillie Senior Advisor Government Relations and Public Affairs Building and Construction Trades Department AFL-CIO Paul Smith Executive Director Canadian Association of Career Educators and Employers Katerina Sukovski Coordinator, Education and Literacy Council of Ministers of Education, Canada Paulette Tremblay Director, Education & Training Aboriginal Financial Officers Association of Canada Susan Uchida Vice President, RBC Learning Royal Bank of Canada Sarah Watt-Rynard Executive Director Canadian Apprenticeship Forum Chris Whitaker President and CEO Humber Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, and CLLN Board Member

Observers Chris Harwood Manager of Field Development Canadian Literacy and Learning Network

James McLean Research Associate Public Policy Forum

Annette Hegel Manager of Communications Canadian Literacy and Learning Network

Maude Ouellet Analyst, Policy and Planning Workplace Partnerships Directorate Human Resources and Skills Development Canada

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