In-house Literacy, Language and Numeracy (LLN) Initiatives in New Zealand Workplaces

Author: Catherine Kell, Shona Guy and Sharon Harvey

The purpose of this review was to find out more about the types of LLN training employers were undertaking, without the support of government funding. The review includes two small surveys which show that very little is happening in companies. What is happening includes formal LLN teaching programmes, encouraging company tutors to undertake qualifications in adult literacy, and revisions of company documents to make them more accessible for staff.



A range of themes emerges from the data. These included the need to relate LLN to wider business strategies; the lack of awareness about the availability of government funding or associated difficulties in applying for it; the tensions between delivering LLN training in-house or accessing outside provision; and the tensions between business outcomes and education outcomes where it is perceived that companies want outcomes for the business and educators want LLN outcomes.

All publications in subject category: Education & Training

     · A synthesis of foundation learning evaluation and research in New Zealand since 2003
     · An Evaluation of Health and Safety Management Practices in the Hairdressing Industry
     · Demand-side factors in adult foundation learning programmes - A review of international literature
     · Evolving educational expectations for New Zealand youth: Evidence from the Christchurch Health and Development Study
     · International students: Studying and staying on in New Zealand
     · New Zealand Report on Further Education and Training of the Labour Force
     · Participation in post-compulsory education and training in New Zealand
     · Returns to post-school qualifications: New evidence based on the HLFS Income Supplement (1997-2002)
     · The effects of in-school and in-tertiary employment on academic achievement and labour market transitions: Evidence from the Christchurch Health and Development Study
     · The Workplace Literacy Fund
     · Upskilling through foundation skills - A literature review

All publications in subject category: Labour productivity

     · A report card on the New Zealand labour market
     · Potential Output: Concepts and Measurement
     · The business case for firm-level work-life balance policies: a review of the literature
     · The Measurement of Productivity in New Zealand: An Introduction
     · The Skills-Productivity Nexus : Connecting Industry Training and Business Performance
     · Towards Building A New Consensus About New Zealand’s Productivity
     · Why Workplaces Matter
     · Workplace Reform and the Quality of Working Life: A Tale of Three Workplaces

All publications in subject category: Skills / human capital

     · An overview of New Zealand and international research on the future of work.
     · Aspirations of rurally disadvantaged Maori youth for their transition from secondary school to further education or training and work
     · Changing skills for a Changing World, Recommendations for Adult Literacy policy in Aotearoa/New Zealand
     · Demand-side factors in adult foundation learning programmes - A review of international literature
     · Human Capability - A framework for analysis
     · International Workforce Literacy Review: Australia
     · International Workforce Literacy Review: Canada
     · International Workforce Literacy Review: England
     · International Workforce Literacy Review: Ireland
     · International Workforce Literacy Review: United States
     · New Zealand''s Labour Market from 1991 - 2001: Evidence of Upskilling?
     · NZ Accommodation Providers: Impact of Technology on Labour
     · Occupational and Skill Forecasting: A Survey of Overseas Approaches with Applications for New Zealand
     · The Skills-Productivity Nexus : Connecting Industry Training and Business Performance
     · Upskilling through foundation skills - A literature review