Workshops 1 & 4:
Integrating Essential Skills into New and Existing Materials

Pat Salt

Pat began by reviewing for workshop participants, what essential skills are and why the integration of these skills into training is considered to be important. She described the various everyday materials that are available as resources when developing activities to integrate essential skills into training and then had participants complete a number of activities that helped clarify how these activities can increase the effectiveness of training. All of the activities can be found in the appendix.

Essential Skills

Essential skills are skills that have been identified as being required in almost every occupation. They are often referred to as the Velcro to which other training sticks. In other words, they are the foundation upon which occupation-specific skills are built.

Essential skills are also:

• enabling skills that help people perform tasks required by their jobs
• skills which allow workers to learn new skills
• skills which enhance a worker’s ability to adapt to workplace change
• skills necessary to use printed and written information to perform competently in a workplace and to develop one’s knowledge and potential
• basic skills that help workers to fulfill their individual and collective potential at work, at home, in the union, and in the community
• generic skills required by most workplaces in the country
• the skills that help you to keep a job
• the “academic” skills that individuals require on a daily basis

Without adequate essential skills learners and workers are less able to acquire new knowledge, adapt to workplace change and participate fully in the community, local workplace or larger economy.