Over the past few months, OLC has been busy visiting some our Agents of Change across Ontario. Read about the YMCA’s Learning Opportunities Program, CNIB’s Literacy Program for Deafblind Adults, and the North Bay Literacy Council‘s staff and learners to see how they continue to motivate, educate, and inspire.
Vilma Wright - Literacy Specialist, Tara Pishghadam- Literacy Specialist and Volunteer Coordinator, and Jacqueline Gibson - Director of YMCA Literacy Program, YMCA
YMCA Learning Opportunities Program: OLC staff met with one of YMCA’s Learning Opportunities Program students, Trevor, whose gratitude for the program and their incredible staff was truly palpable. YMCA’s program has not only helped this once shy individual with his grammar, math, and computer skills, but has helped him come out of his shell. “[I]t’s given me self-confidence in different areas in different ways,” he says, “[t]his place makes you grow – your mind, body and soul…”
Ashley Bartolo - Teacher, Deb Deschamps - Learner, and Lee Garrett - Specialist, Deafblind Literacy, CNIB
CNIB Literacy Program for Deafblind Adults: OLC met two deafblind learners, David and Deb, from CNIB’sprogram in Hamilton, whose dedication to learning and perseverance to overcome daily obstacles is moving – their progress a testament to the hardworking staff at CNIB. Both individuals use an enhanced computer to write and print their own columns which the classroom proudly boasts on its walls.
Julie Patterson - Literacy & Health Program Manager, Jane Jackson - Executive Coordinator, and Johanna Mutch - Student-Tutor Coordinator at the North Bay Literacy Council
North Bay Literacy Council: OLC met with Julie Patterson and Johanna Mutch who spoke to us about The North Bay Literacy Council’s initiative to promote health literacy in the community. The North Bay Literacy Council is holding a Literacy and Health Symposium in August to promote the education of understanding of health information – both from a health practitioner’s and a consumer’s point of view.
To learn more about these organizations, and to watch videos of our Agents of Change, please visit our Spotlight on Learning: Becoming Agents of Change website.
Skills for the 21st Century
February 3, 2010 — ontarioliteracycoalitionIn these current economic times, the issue of the lack of skilled labour is increasingly coming to the forefront. Workers who have been laid off are finding that the new jobs available require higher skills levels. In a recent article by the Globe and Mail, Rick Miner, the past president of Toronto’s Seneca College and a former management professor, claims that there “will be an expanding pool of unskilled workers looking for jobs and an even larger number of companies that cannot find the workers they require.”
In its presentation to the Standing Committee on Finance and Economic Affairs, the OLC pointed out the value of increased and sustained funding for adult learning programs: “Investment in literacy and skills training generates a payback for individuals, but it also accelerates growth in the economy and in productivity, and improves the government’s fiscal balance.”
To help Ontarians find the Employment Services they need, Employment Ontario has released fact sheets for each region of the province . To view the sheets, click here.
Nowhere more than in Ontario has the current recession signalled a profound restructuring in the economy. The demand for skills upgrading in this new economy cannot be ignored if Ontario wishes to compete globally and increase its productivity.