Human Resources committee  I concur. I have seen programming occur in aboriginal populations that needs to be within the context of the community. It needs to be something that is embraced by the community and not seen as imposed by an external interest or an external need. I have seen programming for the

Human Resources committee  Hear, hear!

Human Resources committee  Yes. Thank you. I want to go back a little bit to a comment my colleague made about Tim Hortons as an example and where perhaps being a cashier may generally involve what we would call lower-level literacy and essential skills. What we are seeing now, and I think we would agree

Human Resources committee  For the most part, what we have seen is that adults who are today struggling with low literacy and essential skills for one reason or another—and certainly there are multiple factors—did not get from the school system what they needed. Changes that are occurring in the Canadian

Human Resources committee  I think the data shows that we have a very high number of people completing graduate and post-graduate school on a national basis, so maybe that's a more accurate statement.

Human Resources committee  Are you addressing me?

Human Resources committee  I think our education system is one of the strongest internationally. We do see a significant number of people coming forward with graduate degrees and so forth. The interesting thing is that the learning that needs to go on in the workplace is slightly different from what might

Human Resources committee  Yes. I concur with my colleague that the national convening role is a critical one, one where we are offering champions. We are able to identify and highlight for Canadians the kind of good work that is going on in the high-demand sectors, with employers who are putting workplace

Human Resources committee  Yes.

Human Resources committee  It's understood that approximately 42%, so four out of ten Canadians, on average struggle at below level 3. Level 3 is considered the level at which you can cope with day-to-day tasks and manage as changes occur in your job and in your—

Human Resources committee  I have myself witnessed some wonderful workforce and workplace preparation programming that does address essential skills. Really excellent models are ones that are locally based. They take into consideration the community needs, the local labour market, the cultural elements,

Human Resources committee  Indeed, this is a problem we do find. The very tight budgets, the annual revisiting of the budget, and determining whether or not programming can be sustained are critical issues for the organizations that try to deliver this kind of programming. In workplaces, it's really impor

Human Resources committee  I don't know if my translation was occurring. I didn't hear it here in the room.

Human Resources committee  Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Good morning everyone. Indeed, bonjour. My name is Aleksandra Popovic and I'm with ABC Life Literacy Canada. At ABC, we envision a Canada where everyone has the literacy skills they need to live a fully engaged life. Literacy is the core work th

Human Resources committee  Absolutely. ABC has had the privilege of appearing before this committee several times to speak to the importance of literacy and essential skills for Canadians. We appreciate being able to do so. Today I'm pleased to be able to speak to you about this issue within the context