Why the Focus on Adults’ Literacy Skills?

Adults who lack literacy skills operate at a disadvantage. Adults at the lower end of the literacy scale can expect poorer states of health, lower levels of income, poorer school performance by their children, poorer social integration and lower levels of self-esteem. Low literacy represents a major barrier to independence. It means that many Canadians are not able to participate in voting or access the services they are entitled to.

Low literacy also means many Canadians are excluded from labour market participation. According to the IALS survey, in an information age and knowledge-based economy, good literacy skills have become synonymous with progress. Globalization, new technologies and changes in the labour market place greater demands on employment and workforce skills. For adults, this means enhancing their ability to adapt, learn and ha ndle change. Essential skills therefore must be maintained and/or updated to provide the necessary foundation for other kinds of workforce training. Literacy skills are considered critical to this process. The survey also showed that good literacy skills have a significant effect on earnings — especially in Canada.

What Does the Profile of the LBS College Student Look Like?

More systematic methods of statistical data gathering in the past 3 years have given us a more complete understanding of the LBS college student. In the last funding year, 2002/2003, the total LBS college enrolment was 12,131 students. This represented an increase of 19% from the previous year.

Gender: 56% were females; 44% were males

Age: 52% were between the ages of 25 to 44; 34% were between the ages of 19 to 24; 12% were between the ages of 45-64

Goals: 78% had further education and training as their goal; 16% had employment; 6% had independence