Overview of key policies related to workforce literacy

Introduction

Canada does not have a national adult education or literacy strategy. Its adult learning policy environment is complex, with diverse provincial and territorial policies and provisions across the country. In addition, the federal government has a long-standing involvement in various aspects of adult education, including literacy. In practice, adult education is supported by both provincial and federal funds. [1]

Literacy and English-language instruction are quite separate policy jurisdictions. Adult literacy is an educational issue and constitutionally falls under the jurisdiction of provincial and territorial governments. On the other hand, language training is federally controlled and falls under the authority of the federal government through Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC). At the same time, provinces may fund language instruction through institutions such as school boards with funding from the federal government.

Canada’s adult learning system has been described as piecemeal, without connectedness and without financial support. [2] Several reports have come out in support of federal leadership and a national system for adult learning. These reports include the 2001 Briefing Paper: Literacy and the Canadian Workforce, andthe 2007 Too Many Left Behind: Canada’s Adult Education and Training System.

In their report Pan-Canadian Strategy on Literacy and Essential skills: Recommendations for the Federal Government, [3] released in 2002, Canada’s six national literacy organizations called for national leadership in literacy. This report recommended that the federal government should take the lead in developing a pan-Canadian literacy in partnership with provincial, and territorial governments, literacy organizations, and other community stakeholders. In 2003, a Parliamentary Standing Committee report Raising Adult Literacy Skills: The Need for a Pan-Canadian Response [4]recommended federal leadership in developing a pan-Canadian literacy accord. In 2005, under the former Liberal government, the Minister of State commissioned a ministerial advisory committee on literacy and essential skills. In its 2005 report Towards a Fully Literate Canada: Achieving National Goals Through a Comprehensive Pan-Canadian Literacy Strategy, [5] the committee recommended and detailed a 10-year plan for Canada with stable funding. The committee also recommended that workplace literacy be expanded.

However, these recommendations developed under the former Liberal government have not been taken up. In fact, on September 25, 2006, the federal Conservative [6] government announced a $17.7 million cut (over two years) to the Adult Learning and Literacy Skills Program.

These cuts were part of $1 billion cost-saving approach implemented by the new Conservative government. The federal government had several categories for these cuts, including ‘value for money’, which is where the literacy cuts fell.  This category referred to ‘funding for third parties to further their interests or programs that are not effective, do not achieve results or are being refocused or targeted for improvement.’ The federal government indicated that it would focus on national priorities (as opposed to cost-shared partnerships with the provinces). In addition, the Minister whose department was responsible for the cuts said that the emphasis must be on children and that literacy for adults was ‘repair work after the fact. [7]’

The literacy field developed a coordinated approach in response to the cuts. The Movement for Canadian Literacy emphasized that the cuts would decimate much of the literacy infrastructure built over the last ten years. It would also affect outreach to learners, professional development for educators, curriculum development, research, and partnership development and coordination. [8]

Also in response to the cuts, Barb Byers, Executive Vice President for the Canadian Labour Congress, stressed the need for a national adult learning system that was well-coordinated and funded. She emphasized that the results of the recent International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey show a clear need for such an approach. [9]

Federal policies

Literacy

The National Literacy Secretariat (1988–2006)

Overview

In 1986, the federal government under the Progressive Conservatives announced that it would set up a national literacy initiative. The initiative was to ‘work with the provinces, the private sector, and voluntary organizations to develop resources to ensure that Canadians have access to the literacy skills that are the pre-requisite for participation in an advanced economy’ (p22). [10]

The National Literacy Secretariat was created in 1988. Its mandate was to ‘facilitate the involvement of all sectors of society in creating a more literate Canada.’ It began to receive $21 million a year. Under Liberal governments, increases were made to this funding in 2003 and in 2005. From 1988 to 2006 the NLS was the primary federal government program addressing workplace literacy. [11]

The NLS did not provide direct program funding. There were five areas in which the NLS provided funding:

• developing learning materials
• improving coordination and information sharing
• improving access to literacy programs and outreach
• increasing public awareness
• research.

The NLS had two streams of funding. The national stream provided project funding to national non-government and literacy organizations, provincial and territorial coalitions, and labour organizations. Projects had to be national in scope. The second stream was the Federal/Provincial/Territorial funding. The NLS worked with the provinces and territories to fund and support regional and local needs.

The design of the NLS reflected the idea that literacy, although a provincial responsibility, needed federal support to address the complexity of the issue. This accounts for the partnership approach rather than an approach involving the funding of direct delivery.

The NLS was looking for short-term outcomes such as enhanced strategic partnerships, development of innovation and best practices, improved coordination, skilled practitioners, and more research. Medium-term outcomes resulting from the short-term outcomes included stronger networks, increased capacity, more literacy resources, and more knowledge around best practices. In the long term, the approach of the NLS was intended to contribute to broad goals such as a more inclusive society, more opportunities to improve literacy skills, and full participation of Canadian citizens in society. [12]

The NLS was evaluated twice, first in 1995 and then in 2004. Both evaluations were positive. In the first, the evaluators concluded that the NLS was working in areas that the provinces were not. Furthermore, the NLS was encouraging sectors to get involved in literacy that otherwise might not have, and breaking down barriers to literacy programming somewhat.

The second evaluation results were also positive and mentioned results in the areas of partnership development, awareness, and improved literacy opportunities. There was particular mention of important results in the area of workplace literacy. [13]

Business Labour Partnership Program (1988-2006)

This program of the NLS was intended to build partnerships among employers, labour, education, and government to support work-related literacy. The 2007 document, An Overview of the National Literacy Secretariat Business and Labour Partnerships: Policy Digest, documented the work and results of the program. The report states that the following areas were developed a result of the program:

• assessment and evaluation tools
• innovative models for delivery
• training, consultations, policy conversations
• documentation of best practices.

The report divides the work of the program into three phases. In the early years of the first phase of the NLS (1988–1995), the program focused on training workplace practitioners, building champions (employers, unions and government), building partnerships with provinces and territories, and encouraging innovation. This period was described as one of experimentation and risk taking. New business and labour partnerships were struck, partnerships with the provinces and territories were built, and new connections among partners were made. [14]

In the second phase (1996–2000) there were opportunities for stakeholders to meet and share their thinking and their work. New workplace structures and partnerships were also developed. Stakeholders had the opportunity to participate in national forums funded by the NLS. The knowledge base about workplace literacy was shared and increased. However, the report states that at the end of this period ‘literacy began to be subverted and replaced by an Essential Skills [15] agenda’. [16]

The labour movement has indicated concern about the government’s Essential Skills Framework. It sees the Framework as a narrowing of the concept and broad vision it has developed. [17]

In the third phase, the effects of the previous work were being felt across the country. There were more indications of best practice, and more development of strategies for workplace literacy in provinces where it had not been greatly developed. There was an increase in workplace literacy projects with more resources being leveraged in some provinces. There was also more research. However, it was also a time of ‘top-down accountability’. [18] This provided challenges for business and labour organizations in terms of complex reporting requirements. The process of application and communication became ‘more bureaucratic and less responsive to the project goals’. [19] The program’s definition of partnership became narrower. Many smaller organizations that had received funding in the past did not have the capacity to cope with the new requirements.

New Directions

In 2006, under the recently elected Conservative government, the National Literacy Secretariat was amalgamated with two other programs—the Office of Learning Technology and the Learning Initiatives Program. The new amalgamated program was called Adult Learning, Literacy and Essential Skills Program and was administered by the National Office of Literacy and Learning. In 2006, the federal government announced cuts of $17.7 million, directly affecting the federal-provincial-territorial funding stream and community-based literacy. The government announced that the money would be used for projects of national interest. [20]

In 2007, the name changed again to the Office of Literacy and Essential Skills (OLES). The government Web site responsible for the new program states that:

In the OLES’ new RFP process issued in August 2007, it is clear that priorities have changed. There is more emphasis on literacy in the workplace than family and community literacy. The cuts still hold but the policy has changed. There is no longer money for federal/provincial cost-shared projects as there had been previous to the cuts.

There are two streams of funding as follows:

• Stream 1—Literacy and Essential Skills for Work: Proposals will be considered for projects that contribute in a significant way to building the knowledge base, support mechanisms and outreach activities that are needed to embed literacy and essential skills into work-related learning contexts.
• Stream 2—Family and Community Literacy: The focus for this year’s Call for Proposals is on projects that contribute in a broad sense to building the health and vitality of families and communities by ensuring that Canadians develop the literacy skills that they need for all aspects of daily and community life. [22]

Although Steam 1 focuses on some of the same activities as the Business and Labour Partnership Program, there are clear differences. Projects have to be national in scope and there is much more of a focus on results. The target groups of Aboriginal Canadians, immigrants, and low-skilled workers are clearly in line with government priorities identified in the 2006 Speech of the Throne. The application process is much more rigorous than in the past. It requires more supporting research and more detailed plans on areas like evaluation, dissemination of project results, and sustainability plans once the project is complete. [23]

Language instruction

There are two federal programs of interest, Language Instruction for Newcomers (LINC) and Enhanced Language Training (ELT).

Language Instruction for Newcomers (LINC)

The LINC program was established in 1992. LINC is a federal learning program of Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) that is free to participants. It is a key element of the federal immigrant integration strategy. The purpose of the program is to facilitate the social, cultural, and economic integration of immigrants and refugees into Canada. The components of the program are language assessment and language instruction. Assessments are done according to the Canadian Language Benchmarks [24] (for English only) through designated assessment centres.

To be eligible for LINC, participants must be landed immigrants, Convention Refugees, or have

• received initial approval in their application to become a Permanent Resident. Canadian
• citizens and refugee claimants are not eligible for LINC. Québec is responsible for its
• own language training programs for newcomers to Canada.

Participants can attend LINC for three years from the time they start. LINC is delivered through funding arrangements with school boards, community colleges, universities, and community organizations. Participants attend full-time. In addition to LINC, provinces may also fund their own second language programs which may also be open to Canadian citizens and refugee claimants [25]

Enhanced Language Training (ELT)

Citizenship and Immigration Canada started the Enhanced Language Training (ELT) Initiative in 2004 as part of a larger strategy to attract highly skilled immigrants and facilitate their successful integration into the workplace and community. The program is part of its Immigrant and Settlement Assistance Program (ISAP). ELT is for professionals and trades people settling in Canada, with the exception of Québec. The goal of ELT is to help newcomers who already have basic or intermediate language skills work in their trade or occupation. ELT’s components include labour-market and occupation-specific language training, along with mandatory employability components such as internships, work placements, and mentoring arrangements.

The program has been allotted $20 million a year. Funding is on a project basis through an RFP process. Funding is provided through contribution agreements where partners must contribute at least half the costs through funds and in-kind contributions such as services, tools, or facilities. Partners include provinces and territories, non-governmental organizations, employers, educational institutions, and community agencies. [26]

Provincial and territorial policies

In its 2004 report Government Initiatives Promoting Best Practices, the Council of Federation indicates that most provinces and territories have literacy strategies or plans. [27] However, workplace literacy or literacy for employment is only mentioned in slightly over half of the provincial and territorial plans. Most of the literacy strategies and plans have been developed in the last 6 or 7 years.

Four provinces have specific policies that affect workplace literacy: Manitoba, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia and Québec. Ontario has recently launched and initiative called Employment Ontario—Ontario’s Employment and Training Network. Literacy and basic skills fall under this new initiative.

The following section will profile what is happening in Manitoba, Ontario, and Québec. These three provinces represent a range of work going on in Canada with an emphasis on both workforce and workplace literacy.

Manitoba

The Workplace Education Manitoba Steering Committee (WEMSC) started in 1991 to address a critical need for workplace literacy in Manitoba. [28] To this day, WEMSC has two business representatives, two labour representatives and one government staff coordinator. When WEMSC was first set up, the Manitoba provincial literacy office funded the provincial coordinator’s position. Now the position is funded through Industry Training Partnerships. The NLS supported the work of WEMSC through its leadership and project funding.

In its first decade, WEMSC developed a number of sectoral projects. It used these projects to develop and articulate its joint process and principles. At the same time it was developing these projects, it began to build practitioner capacity to improve delivery. WEMSC was successful in engaging and building awareness with the business and labour communities in Manitoba because of the strength of its members. Promotion of its work was a strong point. As a result of its success, WEMSC was able to leverage money from other government ministries, some of it for direct delivery.  Presumably they were able to leverage this funding because they had an infrastructure in place and were successful. With time, WEMSC’ work spread from larger companies and urban centres to rural areas.

New directions happened in 2001 with a number of factors at play. First, workforce literacy or a focus on those entering the workforce, became a priority for both Manitoba and the federal government. Second, a new coordinator was hired and new committee members came on board. The coordinator took on new responsibilities in addition to workplace literacy which included Prior Learning, Assessment and Recognition, and integrating Essential Skills across the provincial government. This integration work includes a focus on partnerships to address the issues and needs of both employed and unemployed workers. Funding has increased 10 times from when WEMSC first began. This expanded work has been possible because of the earlier success and reputation of WEMSC’s work. [29]

The impacts of WEMSC’s work from its inception to 2006 were documented in the following six areas:

• outcomes for program participants
• the development of a culture of literacy and essential skills using joint (labour management) principles
• practitioner capacity
• ability to leverage additional dollars and contributions
• the influence of the WEMSC model (other provinces used it to develop their models)
• integration of  the WEMSC model across the provincial government. [30]

The contribution of both levels of government, along with the individuals involved in key positions, were key success factors. [31]

Ontario

Since the 1970s and up until 1996, Ontario was a thriving centre for many diverse programs that focused on literacy and language in the workplace. One such program was the Multicultural Workplace Program (MWP) that was inspired by the work of the National Centre for Industrial Language Training in Great Britain. MWP started in 1985 and included literacy and language training, intercultural communication, and employment equity. Funded by the Ontario Ministry of Citizenship and Culture, its goal was to improve communication in multicultural workplaces.

Other significant programs at the time were two funding streams for workplace literacy that business and labour organizations could access. One stream was employer-oriented and the other stream was for labour. One notable program that was in hundreds of workplaces throughout the province was the Basic Education for Skills Training (BEST) developed by the Ontario Federation of Labour. In 1995, the MWP and the employer-based funding stream were amalgamated with several other programs.

Thousands of workers attended workplace literacy and language programs through these funding streams until 1998 when funding was withdrawn by the provincial government. The government decided not to adopt a policy of public funding for employed workers, saying that it represented a subsidy to employers. Almost 10 years later, there is very little activity or employer initiative in workplace literacy, with no government support for delivery. [32]

In 1999, the government introduced Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS), an amalgamation of many previous programs. As part of the Ontario government’s program reform, LBS cultivated closer links between literacy and employment especially for adults on social assistance. Employed workers are eligible to attend programs outside the workplace on their own time. LBS delivery agencies include school boards, community colleges, and community organizations. [33]

Agencies must report information to the government on learner goals, the level of literacy at entrance and exit, and the number of learners going on to further education and training. [34]. No funding has been provided for workplace literacy infrastructure or workplace literacy program delivery since 1998. [35]

Through the Ontario government’s 2000 Workplace Literacy Strategy, among several objectives, it hoped to build the capacity of the LBS field to respond to workplace needs. A pilot project was funded by the NLS and the provincial government to develop a delivery and coordination model for fee-for-service workplace literacy programs. The five literacy networks involved in the project concluded that it was necessary to build capacity for literacy for employment before considering workplace literacy. [36]

A consultation done by the Ontario Literacy Coalition in 2003 with the LBS field confirmed these conclusions. The consultation results showed that LBS agencies were only somewhat prepared to deliver literacy for employment and not interested in delivering workplace literacy. They said they needed clarity on the Ministry of Training, College, and Universities (MTCU) goals and definitions. They indicated that more funding was needed to manage their many priorities, to be able to participate in professional development, and deliver workforce literacy. For the few who were interested in workplace literacy, the top priorities were:

• funding for professional development
• mentoring opportunities
• funding for employers for program delivery
• a referral line. [37]

New Directions

In November 2005, the provincial and federal governments signed a Labour Market Development Agreement (LMDA). This entailed the transfer in January 2007 of federal government funds and resources for employment supports and benefits to MTCU’s new Labour Market and Development Branch.

In January 2007, MTCU launched Employment Ontario—Ontario’s Employment and Training Network—to brand the new approach. The purpose of Employment Ontario is to make 17 programs and services more accessible to clients (employers and individuals) through a one-stop system for a million clients in the province. Service providers include community-based organizations, colleges, school boards, union training centres, and private trainers. Employment Ontario includes all the programs under the Labour Market and Training Division of MTCU. LBS programs are also part of Employment Ontario and also fall under the Labour Market and Training Division. However, they still follow the same policy guidelines they did before these changes. [38]

Québec

Quebec’s policy on adult and continuing education was established in 2002. Its development was the result of collaboration between two ministries—Education and Employment and  Employment.

The policy focus is on four main areas for action:

• to provide basic education for adults
•  to maintain and continually upgrade adults’ competencies
• to acknowledge prior learning and competencies through official recognition
• to remove obstacles to access and retention [39]

The Québec policy emphasizes that not only is basic education for social and economic reasons, it is a collective responsibility not just an individual one.

The policy emphasizes training and education related to employment as a place for life long learning. It stresses the need to remove inequalities to opportunity for this learning not only for adult education, in general, but for employer and labour as well. [40]

It describes the Act to Foster the Development of Manpower Training (Bill 90) as a cornerstone in advancing a life long learning culture in Québec. Passed in 1995, the Act ‘is intended to improve the qualifications, skills and performance of workers through continuing education. Employers whose total payroll is $1.000.000 or more must invest at least 1% of the total payroll in employee training.’ This is a very creative strategy that was developed by the government in consultation with its labour market partners. It applies to 85% of workers in Quebec. The Act benefits both individual workers and employers. [41]

In a presentation to the Canadian Labour Congress Literacy Working Group, Louise Miller of the Fédération des travailleurs et travailleuses du Québec (Québec Federation of Labour) outlined some of the history and experience with Bill 90. Under Bill 90 corporations that have not used all their 1% of payroll for training must contribute the balance of funds to be used by labour force partners. All kinds of training are covered, including literacy. Bill 90 allows for training programs negotiated with the union. A selection committee of employers and unions selects the training to be funded. Miller noted that 50% of funding went to basic skills programs. She also noted that improvements are needed, such as equity measures. [42]

There was provision for Bill 90 to evaluate its impact in 10 years from its inception. The evaluation was completed in 2006. As a result of the evaluation, there will be changes made so that the law better meets the needs of all labour market partners in terms of equity. [43]

Lynette Plett noted in her case study on Québec that both formal job-related training and employer-supported training increased substantially from 1997 to 2002. Suggestions are that this increase is linked to Bill 90. [44]

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