Nine Essential Skills

  1. Reading text
  2. Document use
  3. Writing
  4. Numeracy
  5. Oral communication
  6. Working with others
  7. Computer use.
  1. Thinking skills
    –Problem solving
    –Decision making
    –Job task planning and organizing
    –Significant use of memory
    –Finding information
  2. Continuous learning
  • HRDC, Human Resources Development Canada, lists 9 workplace essential skills.
  • For this workshop we are only looking at the first 5 essential skills - the 3 literacy skills from IALS plus writing and oral communication.

 

Essential Skills Profiles

  • Result of Canada-wide research
  • Involves interviews with over 3000 different workers in over 180 different occupations
  • Provide extensive examples of type of workforce tasks that can be used to develop learning activities
  • Available at www15.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca
  • In 1994, HRDC launched a national research study, the Essential Skills Research Project (ESRP), to examine how essential skills are used in various jobs in Canada.
  • To date, more than 3,000 interviews have been conducted across the country, involving workers in more than 180 occupations.
  • The ESRP interviews competent workers (recommended by employers and labour unions) in the occupational areas targeted for study.
  • Information is compiled and recorded in an essential skills profile template. The Profile shows how essential skills are used by workers in an occupational group.

Activity

  • Walk through the profile:
    Labourers in Processing, Manufacturing and Utilities
    –Description of the occupation
    –The most important Essential Skills
    –Complexity levels, 1--5, with 1 being the lowest level
    –Examples
    –Profile
  • Go to www15.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca to review profiles
  • Essential Skills Profiles describe the frequency and complexity of use of essential skills in different occupational groups.
  • For each essential skill, a Profile generally contains:
    • complexity ratings that indicate the level of difficulty of the tasks related to that skill.
    • examples that illustrate how the skill is used.
    • a standardized description of how that skill is used so readers may make comparisons between occupations or aggregate information across occupations.
  • Each Essential Skills Profile uses the same format, to make information easy to find. Readers will find the same headers in each profile, the same ordering of the essential skills, and data that is presented in a consistent manner.