Projects
Enhancing Pathways
“Enhancing Pathways” is a project that is taking place in 6 areas of Ontario until the end of March 2012.
The first Enhancing Pathways project was done in the Waterloo and Peel regions. That project brought together the agencies that provide language and literacy programming within those areas. The goal was to enhance communication and referrals among the agencies.
Now, in London and Middlesex, service providers are meeting to explore how we can work together towards the same goals.
Our Project Goals:
- Increased understanding among the agencies of the three systems – Literacy Basic Skill (LBS), English as a Second Language (ESL), Language Instruction for Newcomers to Canada (LINC)
- Enhanced knowledge of transition points and efficient pathways for learners
- Identification of gaps and needs within the current continuum
The “Enhancing Pathways” Committee is a working group that grew from the education sub-committee of the London and Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership. “Enhancing Pathways” project committee members include:
- City of London
- Centre for Lifelong Learning
- Cross Cultural Learner Centre
- Ontario Early Years Centre
- Literacy Link South Central
- Thames Valley District School Board
More about the London and Middlesex Local Immigration Partnership here.
Enhancing Pathways newsletter - September 2011
Clear Writing Standards
The Ontario Trillium Foundation has funded Adult Basic Education Association (ABEA, Hamilton) to conduct a two-year project in partnership with Literacy Link South Central and Quality in Lifelong Learning (QUILL Network, Walkerton).
The project deliverables include:
- Developing Clear Writing standards
- Developing an online training module to support Learning Networks in Ontario
- Creating an accreditation process on a fee-for-service basis
We thank the Ontario Trillium Foundation for this grant and their support of this project.
Connecting Literacy and Employment through Essential Skills
The Office of Literacy and Essential Skills (OLES) funded Literacy Link South Central to conduct a two-year project (June 2009 to May 2011). The primary goal of this project was to develop seven workbooks that embed Essential Skills activities within employment-readiness tasks. With these workbooks, literacy programs and employment programs can provide clients with employability skills and literacy/Essential Skills simultaneously.
We are excited to announce that the project has ended and that the workbooks are now complete. The target skill level for all Essential Skills activities is level 2.
The topic areas include:
- Discovering your strengths and skills
- Deciding on the best job for you
- Researching your job
- Job search strategies
- Marketing yourself -part one (cover letter and resumes)
- Marketing yourself –part two (interview skills)
- Maintaining your employability
Workbooks can be accessed online here.
If you have any questions about this project, please give us a call at 519-681-7307 or literacylink [at] bellnet [dot] ca (email us).
The Meaning of Essential Skills for Literacy Practitioners
Click here to see the most up-to-date project report.
The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities funded Literacy Link South Central to complete a one-year project, titled The Meaning of Essential Skills for Literacy Practitioners. Deliverables from the project were circulated to each Literacy and Basic Skills program in Ontario, and include:
- A CD with 3 PowerPoint presentations
- An Essential Skills guide for literacy practitioners
The guide provides a foundation for literacy practitioners to learn more about the 9 Essential Skills and the Essential Skills profiles. A brief history of the development of the Essential Skills and the Essential Skills profiles has been included. Current best practices for integrating Essential Skills into Literacy and Basic Skills programming have been identified in the case studies.
Literacy practitioners from across the province were surveyed to determine their current level of Essential Skills knowledge and to gain an understanding of supports that could be developed to help practitioners understand the role of Essential Skills in task-based training delivery.
If you have any questions about this project, please give us a call at 519-681-7307 or literacylink [at] bellnet [dot] ca (email us).
Workplace Literacy and Essential Skills Project with Goodwill Industries
The Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities funded Literacy Link South Central to conduct a one-year Workplace Literacy and Essential Skills project (August 2010 to March 2011). LLSC partnered with Goodwill Industries to complete this project.
Goodwill Industries has 10 retail donation centres across southwestern Ontario. Literacy Link South Central worked with its literacy partners (other literacy networks, literacy programs and practitioners) to do five things:
- Complete educational interviews with all Goodwill staff at the retail locations (approximately 200)
- Complete standardized literacy assessments with all interested Goodwill staff (approximately 90)
- Develop online curriculum modules:
- Orientation to Goodwill Industries – video
- Employee Orientation – video
- Introduction to Computer Literacy
- Introduction to Online Learning
- Customer Service
- Understanding Quality Goods
- An Introduction to Bill 168 and Workplace Harassment
- Internal Policy Refresher
- Health and Safety
- Business Metrics
- AODA – Accessibility
- WHMIS
- How to Read a Pay Stub
- Family Literacy
- Loss Prevention
- Profile 5 Goodwill occupations to break down the skills that are required and the level that skills are required for:
- Pricer/Sorter
- Hanger
- Donor Greeter
- Driver
- Baler Operator
If you have any questions about this project, please give us a call at 519-681-7307 or literacylink [at] bellnet [dot] ca (email us).
Spreading the Word Together
Thank you to the Ontario Trillium Foundation for funding the "Spreading the Word Together" project. Through their generous support we were able to offer our Literacy Awareness workshop and Clear Writing workshop for free to community service organizations in the counties of Brant, Haldimand and Norfolk. During this 18 month project we connected with 41 organizations and trained 399 staff in Clear Writing or Literacy Awareness.
We will continue to work in partnership with the community agencies of Brant, Haldimand and Norfolk to keep the topic of literacy at the forefront. We will continue making written materials easier to read and understand. Together, we will continue to "Spread the Word."
If you have any questions about this project, please give us a call at 519-681-7307 or literacylink [at] bellnet [dot] ca (email us).
