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Project: Women, Literacy and
Employment
Prepared by Jane Larimer
In the area of Women, Literacy, and Employment CCLOW should:
- Determine the need for a paper outlining the theory and
benefits of workplace/workforce learning and literacy programs. Undertake
secondary research and promote findings, as necessary.
- Articulate and promote best practice models.
- Analyze government education and training policies and their
impact on women with low literacy skills.
Research and Promotion of Delivery Method
As a delivery method, Workforce and Workplace Literacy Programs
receive varying levels of support from governments across Canada; many delivery
agencies are working with private sector firms and unions in this area. There
is value in articulating the theory behind such programs and in promoting the
value of the delivery method to providers and government funders. CCLOW's
mandate indicates the organization has a role to play in this area,
particularly as an advocate for women's access to education.
Research and Promotion of Best
Practice
Developed from the discussion about the theory and value
of literacy and basic skills education for people in the workforce, best
practice models can be articulated and promoted. CCLOW's contribution may be to
articulate these models within the context of creating women-positive learning
environments. Karen Geraci, Judith Bond, and others attending the March
conference could be approached as reference people for such a project.
Policy Analysis
Women at
the March conference were very interested in labour market analysis, and how
employment regulations such as E.I. impacted on the working lives of women.
There are numerous topics where further research and analysis can contribute to
a better understanding of how well (or poorly) our education and training
system is serving women. A new report by the National Council of Welfare
provides an analysis of the impact of the justice system on Canada's poor and
will be a power advocacy tool for years to come. A report by the CCLOW on how
the employment and training/education systems impact disadvantaged women and
their families could similarly be both an advocacy and education tool for women
active in these fields.
Materials Development and
Promotion
A great deal of material has been and is now being
developed for use in workplace environments. The clearinghouse role may be the
major contribution of CCLOW to this work, though funding for this activity may
be difficult to acquire. |