Workplace
Planning Profiles
WORKPLACE
SKILLS TRAINGING PROGRAM
Laubach Literacy of Canada
Date
of Interview: 1991
Laubach
Literacy of Canada (LLC) is a network of 160 volunteer adult
literacy councils located throughout Canada. At the national
level, LLC provides training, materials, and coordination
to its provincial boards and local member groups.
In
1987 the organization received a three-year federal grant
to provide workplace tutoring services to 900 employees. The
grant provided funding to hire staff, develop industry contacts,
train tutors, and refine procedures for workplace literacy
programming.
In
1991 LLC's Workplace Skills Training Program (WSTP) includes
about 1,500 employees, most of whom work in six Ontario-based
companies. Students receive instruction from coworkers who
volunteer to tutor in basic reading, writing, and math skills
up to a 9th grade level. Core materials used in the program
are Laubach Way to Reading, Laubach Way to English, Challenger
Adult Reading Series, and Breakthrough to Math. Supplemental
instruction, which varies from worksite to worksite, has included
such topics as handling hazardous wastes and statistical process
control.
The
WSTP staff provides employers with program planning, training,
and learner coordination services. In 1991 two full-time staff
members are servicing Ontario worksites located for five to
two hundred miles form the national program'' office. Participating
employers apply for public funding for the program, part of
which they use to purchase LLC's workplace services.
WSTP
staff members also create relationships between industry-based
volunteer programs and LLC member groups. Staff members train
provincial LLC leaders in the techniques of workplace company-based
literacy programs in their own communities.
Marketing
the Program
When
WSTP was launched in 1987, federal funding permitted LLC to
offer its services to employers at little or no cost. But
because the program was new and the need for job-related literacy
skills less recognized than today, one of the program's first
major tasks was to interest employers. The staff found that
the following approach worked best for them.
A
staff member called the prospective company to find out who
should receive a printed presentation package. The mailing
was followed up with phone calls to determine company interest
and arrange a meeting.
Four
to six meeting held over several months were often necessary
before a company decided to implement a program. In many cases,
the company's human resource development department was the
first contact. If the human resource staff did not have the
authority to adopt a tutoring program, additional presentations
for company vice presidents, managers, and union representatives
were required. After these presentations, WSTP staff members
were called back to answer additional questions.
Involving
union representatives in the decision was particularly important
since union endorsement of a program is crucial to its success.
WSTP staff, members also contacted public sector educational
programs during this phase of development to determine what
complementary services such programs could provide. Sometimes
representatives from the programs joined Workplace staff in
making presentations to the company.
After
LLC completed the federally funded project, provincial governments
continued to offer grants that eligible employers could use
to purchase educational services. LLC's WSTP was now competing
with other educational organizations to provide services.
In response, staff members developed an attractive, two-color
brochure that concisely describes the services available.
The most frequently used services and fee (in 1991 Canadian
dollars) are as follows:
Program
coordination. The 1991 fee for initial program planning and
start-up is $3,000.
Tutor
training workshops. LLC offers workshops for basic and ESL
tutors. The fee is $300 per volunteer, with a minimum workshop
enrollment of 10 people. Materials are additional.
Supplementary
training. Supplementary or in-service training is available
for tutors who have already completed the basic or ESL workshops.
The fee for a 15-hour supplemental training workshop is $375
per participant.
Learner
coordination. LLC staff members provide all of the technical
coordination and support needed to deliver effective tutoring
services, from matching students with tutors to evaluating
them at appropriate intervals. The fee for this service is
4800 per student for 12 months of tutoring.
Fees
are based on the cost of staff time, travel, and other expenses
involved in providing services and are competitive with other
organizations providing workplace education services. The
fees make WSTP almost self-sufficient.
Staffing
WSTP
staff members handle all planning, training and instructional
functions connected with the literacy program. A company liaison
who can handle logistics and details is essential to the program's
success. A secretary or other employee who is particularly
interested in the program makes an ideal liaison. If the company
operates on two shifts, having a company-designated liaison
from each shift is helpful.
The
liaison is responsible for reserving space for workshops,
meetings, and tutoring sessions; setting up facilities; and
providing for coffee and other needs. The liaison provides
information about prospective students and tutors, including
which shifts they work; how to contact employees during working
hours; and other information needed for matching students
and tutors. The liaison also helps with ordering books, organizes
the program library, and handles paperwork associated with
government grants.
WSTP
program coordinators design a literacy program to meet assessed
needs, recruit students and tutors, conduct student assessments,
train volunteers, march students and tutors, monitor and respond
to monthly tutor reports, select books for the program library,
prepare supplemental materials, and provide in-service training
and support for tutors.
Designing
the Program
Every
literacy program is designed to meet the needs of the employees
and company where it is based. To assess the need, the coordinator
must identify the gap between the skills required on the job
and the skill levels of the employees.
The
company liaison, supervisors, the company's own training and
development staff, and the employees themselves assist in
the needs assessment. The coordinator gathers and reviews
the reading, writing, and math materials used on the job.
Individual employee records are examined to see if illnesses,
accidents, downtime, or grievances may be linked to workforce
literacy deficits. If the company is multicultural, the need
for ESL training must also be considered.
Existing
company training programs are another factor in program design.
Sometimes literacy training can be combined with other training
programs, such as safety training.
Once
the job-related skills are identified, employee skills are
assessed through formal testing and evaluation (described
below). The gap between the skills needed on the job and employee
skill bevels determines the educational services to be offered.
Identifying
the skills gap also enables the coordinator and company managers
to set goals for the literacy program. These goals, in turn,
provide a standard against which to evaluate the program and
to determine future skills-training needs.
Recruiting
Learners and Tutors
A
variety of methods may be used to recruit students and tutors,
including posters, brochures, and announcements delivered
with paychecks. The most effective recruitment tool, however,
is a short meeting with employees during which the program
coordinator describes the program, answers questions, and
seeks to enroll both students and tutors.
Small
meetings foster rapport and allow for the two-way communication
needed to build the employees' confidence in the program.
Ten to fifteen employees attend each informational meeting.
Because
the recruitment meeting lasts only 15 or 20 minutes, the coordinator
has time to present only the main points of the program and
the benefits workers can realize by improving reading skills.
Employees are given time to make comments or raise questions.
Sometimes employees in need of tutoring publicly acknowledge
their acceptance of the program during the meeting.
Often
employees wonder about the company's motivations for offering
the program. The meeting offers an opportunity to address
questions and dispel suspicion. Here are two questions that
often come up, and possible ways to handle those questions.
Straightforward answers help the coordinator establish employee
trust.
Question:
Is the company offering this program because they think its
employees are stupid?
Answer:
No, the company is offering the program because it wants employees
to advance on the
job, to be more flexible in job assignments, and to be ready
to meet any new technological changes.
Question:
Does having this program mean that the company is getting
ready to lay people off?
Answer:
I am unaware of the company's plans, but if you do ever want
or need to look for another
` job, I know that upgrading your reading and writing skills
will help.
Potential
learners are also assured in the meeting that although their
participation in the program will be visible, the level at
which they are working and their rate of progress will be
known only to their tutors and the program coordinator.
Before
employees leave the recruitment meeting, they are given an
opportunity to sign up as learners or volunteer tutors. If
they want more time to consider signing up, they are urged
to do so within a few days.
Most
companies allow volunteer tutors to count half their volunteer
hours as work time, but most volunteers are motivated by the
opportunity to learn something new, help others, or share
in the sense of belonging that comes form participating in
a company-wide program. Blue collar volunteers, particularly,
enjoy the opportunity to engage in an activity different from
their job responsibilities. Tutoring also signals to the company
that employees have valuable attitudes and skills they are
willing to be trained and capable of applying what they have
learned.
Except
in very small companies, enough volunteers can be recruited
from each participating workplace to serve all employees who
want to be tutored. If there are not enough volunteers, willing
tutors may be assigned two or three learners to work with
individually. Sometimes volunteers from an existing LLC program
are available to help out, or volunteers may be recruited
form the community.
Learners
may request to be tutored by someone other than a coworker,
but such requests are very rare. Most learners perceive that
their coworkers, who understand the reading, writing, and
math demands of the company, are best suited to help them
gain the job-related literacy skills they need. In almost
all cases, tutoring sessions are held at the worksite, an
arrangement that WSTP staff members have found more effective
than scheduling sessions elsewhere.
Student
Assessment
The
program's approach to student assessment, developed by Brock
University's School of Education research team, enables the
program coordinator to pinpoint needs, place students in appropriate
programs, and determine what kinds of volunteer training programs
are required. Assessments also enable program personnel to
monitor progress.
Potential
learners participate in one to three hours of testing and
evaluation. Learners are told that testing will save them
time by identifying the program best suited to their needs.
They are also assured that test results will be confidential.
The results are discussed with learners so that they can participate
in planning their own educational program. Testing is voluntary,
but to date no one has refused to be tested.
Tests
include the Oral Gray Reading Inventory and the Canadian Adult
Achievement Test (CAAT). Tests that determine potential students'
ability to perform job-related literacy tasks may also be
administered. Employees of one company, for example, were
required to use a tape measure. Tests showed that only 17%
could do so.
As
many as half of all students who come forward in any one plant
may read at or above an eighth grade level. These students
are referred to more advanced programs offered by local boards
of education, provincial governments, community colleges,
or unions. Some students may need assistance with math only,
while others enroll in the more advanced Challenger Adult
Reading Series program. Employees whose reading ability falls
between the 0-5th grade level--about 15% of those who come
forward-use the Laubach Way to Reading series.
When
the assessment process is complete, company managers receive
a report of the individual scores minus the names of the students
who took the test. At the end of a year, students are tested
again, and before and-after results are shared with the employer
and funder. Students' names are also withheld on those yearly
reports.
Volunteer
Training
Volunteer
training workshops are tailored to incorporate workplace learning
issues and employees' job-related literacy needs. Almost every
segment of the Laubach Way to Reading workshop, for example,
has been adapted to workplace programming. The segment introducing
the problem of illiteracy includes information about the cost
and impact of illiteracy on Canadian industry. Volunteers
watch a skit that fosters sensitivity to the problems of literacy-handicapped
employees. A practice CLOZE technique based on company materials
presented. Finally, volunteers are trained to teach job-specific
literacy skills.
If
there is a nearby local LLC member group, volunteer trainers
from that group may be invited to assist with the workshop.
Industry-based tutors usually become members of a local literacy
council. If need be, a new literacy council composed entirely
of employee-tutors can be organized.
Intensive
tutor support, recognition events, and supplemental training
workshops keep volunteers motivated. The program coordinator
responds to monthly tutor reports, providing tutors with suggestions
for techniques or alternative materials appropriate for particular
students. Depending on the location of the program, responses
to tutors may be in writing, by telephone, or in person.
Supplemental
tutor training is designed to meet specific workplace needs,
and may include training in math tutoring, the use of the
Challenger Adult Reading Series, writing for new readers,
special problems encountered by tutors, or the use of materials
appropriate to a specific workplace.
Supplemental
Materials
Rewriting
workplace materials to make them accessible to more readers
is an important part of the program. The tutor training workshop
contains a segment of rewriting materials. Volunteers practice
the techniques on forms, directions, and other material brought
from the worksite. In addition, several local LLC member groups
have received funding to rewrite work-related government publications,
and these materials are available for use in WSTP.
Now
in its fourth year, the WSTP staff no longer needs to search
for companies interested in helping their employees upgrade
their skills. Word-of-mouth alone has produced a waiting list
of companies ready and willing to implement the program.
Date
of Interview: 1996
In
1996, the Workplace Skills Training Program has now been in
place for nine years. Diane Young, coordinator for Ontario,
reports that the work is going strong in Ontario and spreading
fast to other provinces. At present LLC workplace programs
are in place or being developed in Nova Scotia, Prince Edward
island, and Newfoundland. Plans are also underway to set up
both French and English programs in Quebec. In all, approximately
600 basic literacy and ESL students are currently being served.
Applying
for a Canadian government grant to fund a literacy program
is much more involved than before. But some money is still
available, and many businesses are willing to go through the
necessary red tape to apply for it. Mrs. Young attributes
that willingness to a high level of corporate awareness of
the problem. Some companies are even choosing to pay all the
costs of a workforce literacy program themselves.
The
fee for supplementary training in 1996 is $24/hr per participant.
The fee for learner coordination has dropped form 1991's $800
to $500 per student for 12 months of tutoring.
A
strong feature of the work in Ontario has been that the Clear
Writing workshops are offered not only to tutors but also
to management and union representatives. With "everyone"
going to school for the same purpose-to move forward with
literacy-students don't feel set apart. All are learning how
to write company and union materials clearly and to the point
at an appropriate reading level.
Mrs.
Young offers these basic suggestions for councils wanting
to set up a workforce literacy program:
Be
flexible. Tailor your program according to the needs and schedules
of the workplace and of individual workers.
Be
able to quantify results. Pre-and post-test results and company-wide
surveys (all presented in a format that preserves student
confidentiality) offer convincing evidence to employers that
the program is of value.
Mrs.
Young is happy to network with others doing or contemplating
workplace literacy work. She can be reached at (905) 646-7855.
