Thank you. Good morning. My name is Leslie Childs, and with me is Margan Dawson. We represent the Association of Workplace Educators of Nova Scotia. It is a group of professional adult educators who deliver the nine essential skills programs in workplaces all across Nova Scotia. We work in partnership with the department of education, businesses large and small--even with one or two people--and labour.
Brigid Hayes of the Canadian Labour and Business Centre said, “The workplace is one of the most important venues for the use of literacy skills. We all know about how workplaces are changing, about the need for improved skills and increased training.” We subscribe to this 100%.
As the increasing demands of technology, a knowledge-based economy, and international standards rise, many employers are challenged to find ways to keep their workforce current with new developments and the frequent changes, and to find ways to retain knowledgeable, skilled workers in their own workplaces. Organizations need employees who are skilled in communication, able to think and solve problems, able to work with others, adaptable to the rapidly changing workplace, and willing to continue learning.
Essential skills and workplace education programs are vital to success if workers, employers, and organizations are to thrive in the global economy. Through extensive research, the Government of Canada and other national and international agencies have identified and validated the nine essential skills. Essential skills are enabling skills. These skills are used in nearly every occupation and throughout daily life in different ways and at different levels of complexity.
In Nova Scotia, because of the partnership with the national literacy secretariat, we've been able to advance workplace education and support the Nova Scotia labour markets through the Nova Scotia workplace education initiative. This initiative has been in place for sixteen years. This recognized and award-winning initiative provides non-traditional educational opportunities for both unionized and non-unionized organizations and their employees who wish to improve their essential skills. The programs are designed to be easily accessible to all workers, are customized to meet both the individual learner and workplace needs, and are relevant to a specific workplace.
The Association of Workplace Educators of Nova Scotia--we call ourselves AWENS, as everybody has to do the acronym thing--is the only organized professional association of workplace educators in the Atlantic region. Our focus is on the delivery of customized workplace education programs through the workplace education partnership.
As a professional body, we are a source that advocates continuous learning and embraces the concept of workplace education. We are ambassadors for workplace literacy, and we were recognized in May 2006 by the Canadian Association of Municipal Administrators through their excellence for municipal workplace literacy achievements. In their presentation for the awards they said, “Through the efforts of AWENS, many workers in Nova Scotia are now better prepared to meet the challenges of an ever changing and evolving workplace.”
As practitioners working in the field of workplace education, we have observed that many employers are not taking advantage of workplace education programs, and we really question why. The benefits of investing in workers' essential skills and workplace literacy are undeniable, but they are not always clear or known to management, supervisors, or workers. As well, about 75% of Nova Scotia businesses have too few employees to make implementing a workplace education program on their own feasible.
The top reasons for making workplace education a priority include cost savings and improved communications, but some other benefits are transferability of employees between departments in an organization, employee development, employee empowerment and investment in an organization, improved product quality, and improved customer service. All of those are things that businesses today are looking for.
Four in ten Canadians have literacy skills below the desired threshold for coping with the rapidly changing skill demands of a knowledge-based economy--an interesting statistic.
In conclusion, workforce training, retraining, and development fall directly on employers in both large and small companies. They need help if Canada wants to ensure sustainability and ongoing growth of workers and workplaces to build a strong workforce and compete in the global economy.
We talk about the importance of retaining employees to meet the demands of the labour market--the employer is the key. Workplaces are asked to be learning organizations. But how are they being supported?
According to the report, “Too Many Left Behind: Canada's Adult Education and Training System”, a large portion of Canada's adult population is not equipped to participate in a knowledge-based society: 5.8 million Canadians, aged 25 years and over, do not have a high school diploma or higher credential; 9 million Canadians, aged 16 to 65, have literacy skills below the level considered as necessary to live and work in today's society. Workplace education is proactive. It helps businesses and workers deal with a changing world.
As a government and as a country we need to be proactive rather than reactive. We need a stable workforce committed to ongoing learning and development. AWENS sees a role for the federal government to continue and increase its direct support of workplace education programs. AWENS also sees a need for the federal government to actively promote the benefits of workplace education to employers and their employees.
In closing, the findings of the evaluation of the Nova Scotia workplace education initiative, prepared in September 2005, indicate that workplace education is the way of the future. Workplace education can and does benefit workers in Nova Scotia. As a result of demonstrating new skills after participating in a program, individuals are often promoted and earn a higher income.
The characteristics of the Nova Scotia workplace education partnership model are: cost effectiveness; quality learning programs delivered on site; customized content relevant to the needs of those in their workplace, linked to literacy and essential skills development.
If there are no workplace education programs available for people who are currently working and earning a living, how will you address issues around productivity in an increasingly competitive global environment?
Thank you very much for your attention.