Literacy Workers

What do we currently know about the field demographically? Interviews with key informants, along with the results from research conducted by the Ontario Literacy Coalition ^{Footnote 10} and Literacy Alberta, ^{Footnote 11} indicate some key trends in terms of the demographics of literacy workers.

The most common profile of a paid literacy worker across the country and across sectors is female, white, middle-aged (40–55 years) and well-educated with a degree, most commonly a Bachelor of Education. In northern areas there is more diversity. In Nunavut, for example, about 40% of literacy workers are Inuit. Aboriginal literacy workers can also be found in the community-based sector in NWT and in the rural areas of the Yukon.

Literacy workers can have a range of educational backgrounds from Grade 12, and/or no formal training in literacy, teaching or adult education, to diplomas in adult education, degrees in education or other areas, and master’s degrees. In several provinces and territories, it was reported that a growing number of literacy workers have a master’s degree or are working towards it. In Alberta, recent research on community-based literacy coordinators indicates that 38% had master’s degrees. ^{Footnote 12}

In four jurisdictions the average years of experience appears to be 4–6 years. However, informants also alluded to the fact that there is a core group of longtime literacy workers in many jurisdictions.

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