Workshop 2: Essential Skills Tools and Resources

Lynda Fownes

Lynda Fownes, Executive Director of SkillPlan, familiarized delegates with the variety of tools and resources available for use when integrating essential skills into training development and delivery. In particular she focused on the many resources developed by SkillPlan with funding provided by Human Resources Social Development Canada. Lynda reviewed SkillPlan’s mandate and the services that SkillPlan provides before reviewing four of the SkillPlan resources, Reading at Work, Writing at Work, Document Use at Work, and Numeracy at Work. Information on each resource including costs can be found below. Resources can be ordered by accessing the online order form at http://www.skillplan.ca/English/orderonline.htm SkillPlan also very generously contributed 6 Reading at Work: Workplace Readers, and 5 Reading at Work Facilitator’s Guides to delegates who agreed to complete a tracking form so that SkillPlan can follow- up with them in future to determine how the resources have been put to use.

Reading at Work

Reading at Work illustrates how the Essential Skills of reading text and document use are applied in the workplace. In the Reading at Work Workplace Reader and Facilitator's Guide, authentic workplace documents and real-life stories of workers on the job form the basis of learning activities. Lesson activities in the Facilitator's Guide help the instructor introduce and expand on topics in the Workplace Reader, providing learning strategies, suggestions for further activities, and additional source documents. Reading at Work enables instructors and trainers from the fields of adult/workplace education, literacy, and employment counseling, to focus on the information processing structure and strategies that lead to increased learner success and worker competency. For students and workers, the stories and activities in the Workplace Reader provide a unique opportunity to practice reading skills such as locating, combining, comparing and contrasting, integrating, explaining, and evaluating information. These skills are transferable and used by workers in many occupations.

Writing at Work

Writing at Work is a resource based on the world of work. It describes the writing used in many occupations. The descriptions and examples use the language of Human Resources Social Development Canada’s Essential Skills Profiles, which have become the standard in addressing workplace writing in Canada. Each chapter examines the purpose, style, organization and use of such writing forms as Memos, Entry Forms, Logbooks, Bulletins and Regulations.