INTRODUCTION:

Background:

In 2004, the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities offered training to the literacy field in Ontario to build capacity in practitioners for serving learners with employment-related goals. With funding dollars from MTCU, the QUILL Network developed Learning Works! Establishing the Foundation and training was made available throughout the province via regional training events. Over 400 practitioners from the Aglophone, Francophone, Native and Deaf streams in the Literacy and Basic Skills Program attended this training.

During the morning plenary session, trainers presented information on the big-picture overview of the Ministry’s Employment Training Initiative. You can access that presentation at:Train Ontario 1 AM

This resource, Understanding Employment-Related Goal Requirements, is taken from an afternoon elective workshop, and is meant to assist practitioners in understanding what is involved when thinking about embedding employment-related training in regular Literacy and Basic Skills programs. In this training, you will find good information along with resources, activities and ideas to help you incorporate this important training focus into day-to-day activities with learners..

We begin with some general context.
 

Different but also the same...

Literacy deliverers from various agencies and programs throughout the province have a number of things in common but also a number of things that are distinct.

They’re different

• different agencies fulfill different roles in the learner’s journey to employment
• different roles require different approaches 
• different settings offer different opportunities

and the same

• the same vision: to assist learners in reaching their goals
• same personal goal – to make a difference
• similar challenges, i.e. how to work in each particular setting with each particular group of learners to help learners prepare for employment.
• same commitment - to keep moving forward

While some of the challenges are the same throughout the province, the solutions programs come up with, of course, will all be different.

Across Ontario, experience and expertise with regard to working with employment goals varies widely. Practitioners are at different levels of readiness and ability to respond to the growing demand for workforce training.

• Some still provide traditional literacy training; others are a long way down the road in workforce training.
• Teaching styles and abilities vary: some love to develop new curricula; others prefer materials ready-made.
• Some have a bank of resources that have accumulated over the years; others are new and are still scrambling to find resources day-to-day.
• Some settings lend themselves more naturally to workplace training: links are right there on-site.

While this course is offered primarily for practitioners who are just beginning to focus more on employment-related goals of learners, everyone can learn something from the shared knowledge and experience that has contributed to this training.
 

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