Tribute to Linda Mitchell

In the late 1990s, in order to support and build on the adult literacy policy and infrastructure development happening across the country, MCL brought the leaders of the provincial and territorial literacy coalitions together to share information, develop knowledge and skills, and work together around shared concerns. Linda brought enormous knowledge and insight to this roundtable of coalition leaders, and was an important mentor for those who were new to the job or whose organizations were new.

To read more about Linda’s contribution to MCL and the field in general, click here.

Workforce Essential Skills across Canada (WESCan)

WESCan (Workforce Essential Skills across Canada) is an Office of Literacy and Essential Skills funded project that has PTP working closely with communities across Canada to build meaningful programming for low-skilled individuals. This project uses the CAMERA System as its foundation, combined with the knowledge gained through years of research and analysis on effective ways to transition low-skilled adults to work. MCL sits on the advisory committee for this project.

Click here to learn more about the project.

Movement for Canadian Literacy submits digital economy consultation paper to Industry Canada

In response to the  Federal Budget in March of this year, the Industry Minister has launched a digital economy strategy consultation process. Stating that all Canadians have a role to play in shaping our digital future, the Minister extended an invitation to all Canadians to bring forward their ideas and perspectives. To bridge the digital divide, MCL calls for affordable and accessible broadband access, increased level of support for basic literacy and programs and services, expanded digital technology training opportunities and strategic partnerships. To participate in the consultation process, register at http://de-en.gc.ca/home/.

MCL appears before the Finance Minister’s Task Force on Financial Literacy

On May 12th the Movement for Canadian literacy made a presentation to the Federal Finance Minister’s Financial Literacy Task Force, when it travelled to Ottawa. We urged the task force to recommend to the government that it strengthen Canada’s capacity to provide basic literacy skills. In our presentation, we underlined an essential principle: the foundational literacy skills many adults need to make sound financial decisions are tied to life‐long learning.
• MCL's Submission
• Presentation to the Task Force

HR Council launches new diagnostic service

The Human Resources Council for the Voluntary and Non-Profit Sector has launched “HR CheckUp”, a national initiative to raise the bar for HR management in nonprofits. It all starts with the interactive HR CheckUp self-diagnostic. Consisting of twenty questions, the self-diagnostic allows nonprofits to rate their current performance in a number of functional HR areas. Based on three results, a custom HR Prescription will recommend tools, tips, and strategies to improve and maintain organizational HR health.

To find out more go to: http://hrcouncil.ca/home.cfm.

It's International Adult Learners’ Week!

I recently heard a story about a young man who struggled through high school but was now a successful store manager. He graduated but he had no intention of going to college or doing anything that required ”books and learning”. He found a job stocking shelves in a grocery store and drifted a long for many years.

What changed him? He said it happened when a new manager started at the store. This manager saw potential and encouraged him to try. He said that without the encouragement and support of that one person he wouldn’t have made it through upgrading courses and a part time course in retail management. Once he understood how he learned best and the supports he needed for learning, he continued to take courses.

At times that is all it takes – the encouragement of one person. Who have you encouraged today?

You can find information about IALW 2010 activities, as well as a copy of the UNESCO magazine, Opening up the Possibilities, at: www.unesco.ca/en/
activity/education/AdultLearners.aspx.

Celebrate Family Literacy Day!
Read together. Grow together.
Family Literacy Day is on January 27.

Check out ABC Canada’s family literacy website for information about ways to celebrate family literacy day.
http://familyliteracyday.ca

You can find a Family Literacy Day event in your area from this link:
http://www.abc-canada.org/
en/fld/2010/

UK Employees have a new right

Employees in the UK will soon have the right to request time off work to attend training. The right to request time to train was included in the Apprenticeships, Skills, Children and Learning Act, which received Royal Assent in November 2009. The introduction of the right will be phased and will be made available to employees in organisations with 250 or more employees from April 2010 before being extended to all employees from April 2011. For more information go to http://www.bis.gov.uk/time-to-train.

MCL Annual General Meeting Held

Earlier this month MCL held its Annual General Meeting in Ottawa. Award winning author Alan Cumyn was a special guest. He read from Dear Sylvia, which is the final book in his Owen Skye trilogy. You can learn more about Alan by visiting his website.

We are providing our 2008-09 Annual Report in two layouts – one for on screen reading and one for printing as a booklet (Please note: this document is formatted to print landscape on legal size paper).

Three LAN members attending CONFINTEA VI in Brazil

(l-r) Dianne Smith, Ellen Szita, Patricia Ashie

MCL is pleased to announce that three members of its Learners Advisory Network (LAN) will be attending Living and Learning for a Viable Future: The Power of Adult Learning, the Sixth International Conference on Adult Education (CONFINTEA VI), hosted by the Government of Brazil in Belém from 1 to 4 December 2009. This event will provide an important platform for policy dialogue and advocacy on adult learning and non-formal education at the global level. Adult learners from around the world have been invited to attend and speak at the conference.

Patricia Ashie (LAN spokesperson), Dianne Smith (LAN member-at-large) and Ellen Szita (LAN chair) are looking forward to the opportunity to share information about MCL and to gain new perspectives from adult learners from other countries. Patricia, Dianne and Ellen and will be travelling with Susan Nielsen, Executive Director of Toronto Student Association (TASA).

Sue Nielsen

At the conference Sue will be presenting TASA’s model of service delivery to and support of adult learners. This model is seen as a “promising practice” in terms of how it connects adult learners with the community and community organizations to adults need services – across the continuum of adult education: formal, non-formal and informal.

The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship

Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism Canada has just released a new, more comprehensive study guide for Canadian citizenship. Discover Canada: The Rights and Responsibilities of Citizenship includes information on common values such as freedom, democracy, human rights, the rule of law and the equality of men and women. It promotes a greater understanding of Canada’s history, values, symbols and important Canadian institutions, such as Parliament and the Crown. It also highlights the contribution of ethnic and cultural communities in shaping our Canadian identity and the sacrifices made by Canadas veterans for our country.

Here is the link to the document on the Citizenship and Immigration Canada’s website.
http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/pdf/pub/discover.pdf

Financial Tool Kit

The Ottawa Community Loan Fund (OCLF) has developed a toolkit for LINC/ESL instructors and settlement workers on financial matters in Canada. The project, funded by Citizenship and Immigration Canada, based the development of the tool kit on a needs assessment conducted with adult learners in LINC classrooms, interviews with settlement workers and research. The materials were piloted by instructors and their feedback incorporated into the final version, which is now available free on the OCLF website. Literacy practitioners will also find the tool kit useful.

Feasibility Study

Office for Literacy and Essential Skills (OLES) at Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) has contracted the Canadian Council on Learning to conduct a feasibility study that will assess the viability of conducting such a sector survey and identify the types of information that could be collected should a survey take place.

Given the complexity of the sector, which includes government, not-for-profit, college, community and other types of providers and a wide variety of programmes, it is not clear if a survey of the entire sector is a viable undertaking, or if a sector survey were to be undertaken, what information could reasonably be collected from providers. The aim of this study is to determine the feasibility of conducting a sector study, given the complexity of the sector.