Integrating literacy training with a construction skills program

The Labourers' International Union of North America (LIUNA), Local 183 (Ontario), designed a multifaceted literacy project to meet the basic-skills needs of construction workers for job-specific training. The project provides assistance for both instructors and workers in courses at the LIUNA Training and Rehabilitation Centre in Toronto. Instructors learn how to integrate basic skills with their subject matter, and workers benefit from courses that upgrade their basic skills and deliver the job- specific training as well.

Instructor surveys and a literacy task analysis preceded development of the instructor-training resource kit. The kit can be used for independent study by an instructor or for staff development in workshops. The step-by-step format guides instructors through developing and teaching their particular construction skills program.

The first three units of the kit introduce workplace literacy; investigate learning theories, principles, styles, and barriers; and describe the adult learner and the best conditions for successful learning. The next three units demonstrate how to find out learners' needs through needs assessments and literacy task analyses; how to write objectives for training based on those needs; and how to create effective lesson plans combining content and basic-skills building. The remaining units cover methods of training; techniques for presentation of material; motivation and classroom management; and evaluation types and methods.

Blueprint Reading instructors also benefit from additional resources developed as part of the course curriculum. These resources help the instructor support or clarify information through basic skills, suggest teaching strategies to help develop basic skills, and include instructional aid sheets for specific topics. The materials are organized according to basic skills categories and are cross-referenced in the Blueprint Reading curriculum.