ADMINISTRATION

Although there were not many detailed comments about program administration, those received were pointed and clear:

• Although there was acknowledgement that government funding to adult literacy had improved in the last year or two, no one felt that the current level of funding to adult literacy organizations was adequate. There were also many calls to increase ALC funding.
• There were many calls to reduce the burden of yearly funding applications and to proceed to multi year funding, particularly for well-established programs.
• There was a recommendation that government review the responsibilities of the ALC Directors as they relate to the ALC Boards. This governance issue needs clarification and should not be duplicated in the regulations of The Adult Literacy Act.
• There were two criticisms of government for not consulting when drafting The Adult Literacy Act.

WORKFORCE/EMPLOYMENT-BASED FOCUS

It was generally agreed that the literacy skills of Manitoba’s workforce are the foundation of the province’s productivity and that employees with strong literacy/essential skills face better chances of promotion and job security. In Canada both the provincial governments and the federal government contribute to labour market skill development.

• Business representatives indicated that there is a current labour shortage in many of Manitoba’s industry sectors. Entry-level employees do not need a specific job related skill base but need to have the capacity to learn. This is closely related to their level of literacy.
• The problems in the North were clearly delineated and unique approaches were called for. The tight labour market in Thompson is creating some serious problems. Coupled with related problems in supports such as living accommodation, it is affecting learner retention. Many who leave or bypass literacy training for jobs are not prepared and labour market turnover is very high for this group.
• In many cases employers are turning to the immigrant community to fill entry level shortages as well as shortages where there are needs of specific skill sets.
• Many employers are not convinced of the benefits of the literacy development of their workforce. Many employees are also not convinced of the need to improve their foundation skills. This awareness issue is not new to our province or country.
• There was a lack of consensus as to who should be responsible to address the issue of workforce literacy.
  • Comments from those outside of business called upon employers to contribute to the literacy development of its employees.
  • Some employer representatives, although not disagreeing, felt that it was preferable to adopt better hiring practices than to engage existing employees in workplace literacy strategy initiatives.
• Government was seen as a key partner in funding research studies to demonstrate the productivity benefits of strong workforce literacy skills.
• The government sponsored workplace Essential Skills movement has gained credibility in the business community and is seen as the key element in workplace literacy development. Some employers are responding to Essential Skills in their specific workplaces in partnership with government. There were calls to increase the volume and capacity of this government commitment and in some cases there were calls to make Essential Skills a mandatory component of government funded employment-related literacy.
• There were some specific comments to indicate that workers with strong literacy skills function in a safer manner in the workplace.
• Some participants pointed to successful initiatives in other countries, for example Australia and New Zealand, suggesting that Manitoba consider adapting those initiatives to Manitoba circumstances.