This case study points to the strategic importance of multi-sector partnerships, for example with business, non-governmental organizations and labour unions, in the design and implementation of government policy. Simply stated, governments seldom if ever act alone. This is especially so in pluralistic democracies in which governments depend on all sectors to contribute to healthy communities and prosperous economies.
Macro-economic concerns such as productivity, wealth creation, international competitiveness, and the economic security of Canadians traditionally dominate the federal agenda. Research shows that the more literate a society becomes the higher is its productivity and standard of living (Coulombe and Tremblay, 2004). Studies confirm that enhancing literacy skills leads to increased labour market participation and stronger national capacity to compete in the global economy (OECD-Statistics Canada, 1997; Shalla and Schellenberg, 1998). Literacy has become a prerequisite for the acquisition of the new and emerging workplace skills that people need for employment and prosperity in knowledge-based economies. This case study demonstrates how these federal policy objectives have been translated into program design and multi-sector partnerships.
Federal involvement in the Program was based on a commitment to enhancing literacy as a way of improving economic performance and employability. Capacity building, skills development in the workplace and commitment to the creation of new knowledge from the shop floor, were the multi-sector partnership tactics used to achieve the federal policy objectives. These strategic tactics helped to enhance literacy and essential skills in order to increase productivity, competitiveness, wealth generation, and economic security.