Northern Adult Basic Education Program Priority 7.4 Literacy and Essential Skills Courses

PURPOSE: To develop short courses that integrate literacy and workplace essential skills to increase the number of Northerners joining the labour market or entering the vocational training required to enter the labour market.

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PROGRAM PARTNERS

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Aurora College and the Government of Canada Canadian Northern Economic Development Agency (CanNor)

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DESCRIPTION

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Through funding from the Northern Adult Basic Education Program, Aurora College has contracted the Northwest Territories Literacy Council to develop six embedded literacy and essential skills short courses that target the 120 Adult Basic Education level. These types of courses teach participants skills for a job, while, at the same time, increasing their literacy and essential skills. Each course is between six and eight weeks long. The intended outcomes of these courses are to:

• Provide participants with the opportunity to learn literacy and numeracy skills that will help them attain and keep a job or start their own small business;

• Provide participants with an opportunity to identify continued learning opportunities through Aurora College or other training programs; and,

• Build students’ confidence in their learning ability.

In total, four courses have been developed, piloted and/or implemented since 2013–14, and have been delivered 52 times in 23 communities from September – March 31, 2015:

• Introduction to Office Skills

• Introduction to Early Learning and Child Care

• Start Your Own Small Business

• Small Business Funding and Marketing.

One course is being updated and two new courses are in development 2014–15:

• Ready to Work North (updated)

• Introduction to Retail & Customer Service

• Introduction to General Labour.

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RESULTS

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A total of 52 Literacy and Essential Skills Courses have successfully been delivered in 23 Northwest Territories communities. Students have developed both confidence and skills to either enter the workforce in an entry-level position, consider starting their own business or applying to a program at the College.

Students who have applied to the Literacy and Essential Skills courses are in most cases a different audience that the College has engaged through upgrading courses.

This activity has garnered overwhelming positive response from Northwest Territories communities, and significant media attention, through three success story videos that were produced on the four courses.

Information has also been shared through various public presentations.

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FURTHER INFORMATION

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Northern Adult Basic Education (NABE) Program

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