ROLE OF INDUSTRY

Those who commented felt that employers should provide more opportunities for employees for Literacy/Essential Skills training as well as skill development. Many of these comments were based on the knowledge that business productivity would rise, as a result of investment in employee skills development.

ROLE OF COMMUNITIES

Everyone assumed that programming would continue to be community based and operated by organizations at that level. Along with this comes the responsibility to ensure that programs are related to local needs.

There were a few strong calls to situate any provision of centralized supports (e.g. research, student assessment) outside of government.

There was support and commitment to work under government’s facilitation on providing ongoing input into implementation and evaluation of the strategy.

What would be the ideal literacy promotion campaign?

There was limited discussion on this aspect of the strategy and no clear pattern of ideas emerged. Most of the suggestions related to attempting to attract more low level students.

• Most of the discussion recognized that there had to be an awareness raising of the general public as to the existence of programming and its economic and social benefits.
• Many felt that at present most program information is spread by ‘word of mouth’.
• Promotion campaigns should be on-going.
• The campaign should address the stigma problem that people with low literacy skills face.
• To be effective the campaign should not be solely print-based.
• Community information sessions could be conducted through local program centres.
• Libraries should play an important role in marketing programs.
• Mimic the “Participaction” campaign.
• On two occasions there were clear opinions that there should be no promotion until programs are adequately funded and proper student support services are in place.