The Canadian Labour Congress (http://www.clc-ctc.ca/web/menu/english/indexeng.htm — look under “Organizing” then “Literacy”) has been instrumental in coordinating and providing support to labour activities across the country with a regular newsletter, courses on union-based literacy and plain language, support to the development of clear language contracts and resolutions, and the integration of literacy into labour education programs.
 
Resources Online
 

These are but a few of the recent projects supported by the NLS. There are so many more projects, exciting ideas, and tools to be reviewed. One of the most critical issues for the workplace literacy practitioner is how to find out what is going on and who is doing what. Some of the key resources for information are:

  1. NLS projects funded — this is complete up until March 31, 2002 and is keyword searchable — http://www.nald.ca/nls/nlsfund/projects.htm

  2. NLS library — all products from NLS projects are housed in the NLS library and can be accessed via inter-library loan — http://www.nald.ca/nls/inpub/inpub.htm

  3. NLS website — our site has links to IALS, a number of fact sheets, and publications — http://www.nald.ca/nls

  4. The NALD site itself is a veritable wealth of information — http://www.nald.ca. Many of the provincial and territorial workplace literacy efforts have websites housed on NALD (look under “Provincial and Territorial Organizations”). You might want to check out the Literacy BC, Workplace Education Manitoba, WWESTNET, Workplace Education PEI, and the Workplace Education Newfoundland sites, just to name a few. Also, under “Full Text Documents” there is a separate section on workplace literacy.

  5. There are a few international listservs that deal with workplace literacy. From the National Institute for Literacy, there is the NIFL-WORKPLACE Forum on Workplace Literacy, which you can sign up for via NALD. The Workplace Basic Skills Network at the University of Lancaster in England has an e-mail update list which I find interesting — http://www.lancs.ac.uk/wbsnet

  6. Contact me at: brigid.hayes@hrdc-drhc.gc.ca or 613-957-9845.

Brigid Hayes is Program Manager, National Literacy Secretariat, Human Resources Development Canada.

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