Presenters: Andrew Schmitz, Amanda Nowensky

WE WILL COVER:

What are the Essential Skills, and how were they identified? What Essential Skills resources are available to you?Are we finding the Essential Skills framework valuable? How? How are the Essential Skills valuable to you as an instructor? How are they valuable to your students?

What are the Essential Skills?

Reading Numeracy Writing

Oral Communication Continuous Learning Computer Skills

Document Use Working with Others Thinking

HOW WERE THE ESSENTIAL SKILLS IDENTIFIED?

DECADES OF GROWING LITERACY AWARENESS, AND COUNTLESS CAMPAIGNS AND CONFERENCES OPENED CANADA'S EYES TO THE IMPACT OF POOR LITERACY SKILLS ON CANADIANS. RESULTS FROM THE INTERNATIONAL ADULT LITERACY SURVEY (IALS) HELPED TO FURTHER INCREASE THIS AWARENESS AND PROPOSED A LIKELY CONNECTION BETWEEN LITERACY LEVELS AND PERSONAL AND ECONOMIC POTENTIAL.

THE FIRST ROUND OF SURVEYS TO INVESTIGATE THE CONNECTION WAS BETWEEN 1994 -1998.

• 23 countries• Proficiency ratings on a scale of 0 – 500.• A score of level 3 (225 – 326) is the

minimum level adults need to deal with the complexities of life and work.

• Looked at 3 areas : writing, document use and numeracy.

IN 1994 HRSDC (HUMAN RESOURCES AND SKILLS DEVELOPMENT CANADA) LAUNCHED THE ESSENTIAL SKILLS RESEARCH PROJECT (ESRP).

THE ESRP TRIED TO PROVIDE ANSWERS TO THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

1. HOW CAN WE DESCRIBE THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN TASKS (WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A 2. WRITING TASK LEVEL 1 AND A WRITING TASK LEVEL 4)?3.WHAT DO THESE SKILLS LOOK LIKE IN DIFFERENT JOBS? 4. HOW DOES AN INDIVIDUAL KNOW IF THEY HAVE THE SKILLS THEY NEED TO DO THE JOBS THEY WANT TO DO?

• Adapted scales from the IALS (International Adult Literacy Survey) and the CLB’s (Canadian Language Benchmarks) and drew on resources from the USA, Australia and the UK.

• Conducted over 3000 interviews.• To date over 4500 interviews have been conducted and

approximately 300 ES profiles have been posted on the ES website.

WHAT ESSENTIAL SKILLS RESOURCES

ARE AVAILABLE TO YOU

Sources: Canadian Language Benchmarks / Essential Skills in the Workplace

http://www.itsessential.ca/itsessential/display_page.asp?page_id=1 The Learning Beacon http://www.ns.literacy.ca/TheLearningBeacon/LB4/index.html Manitoba Resource Bank for Teachers

http://www2.immigratemanitoba.com/browse/eal_teachers/module Human Resources and Skills Development Canada

http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/oles/olesindex_en.shtml Ontario Skills Passport

http://skills.edu.gov.on.ca/OSPWeb/jsp/en/introduction.jsp?lang=en Literacy Basics http://www.nald.ca/literacybasics/essentl/why/01.htm Essential Skills Activities http://www.eallessons4essentialskills.ca/Home/Welcome.html

Incorporating Essential Skills into your classroom!

Incorporating ES into your curriculum:

There is a two step process to incorporating ES into your curriculum. When you find that the activity has both a purpose and is something that individuals also do outside the classroom then you have an ES task. Ask yourself these questions:

What is the learner asked to do? Why is the learner being asked to do it? Might individuals do this outside the classroom? If ‘YES’ than

you have an ES task.

NAVIGATING THOUGH THE CANADIAN WORK FORCE:

ESSENTIAL SKILLSThis is a new course for Seneca’s GEA students. This course prepares our new immigrant for Canada’s labour market by not only making students essential skills literate but also by equipping them with materials they can use when searching for career.

How will you choose to incorporate ES into your curriculum?

HOW WILL YOU CHOOSE TO INCORPORATE ES INTO YOUR

CURRICULUM?

How is the Essential Skills framework valuable to you as an professor?How are they valuable to your students?

Students involved in this learning are engaged.

Students are engaged when they see value and practicality in their learning.

All working Canadians need these skills. The Canadian government has outlined these

essential skills as requirements for immigrants.

As college professors, we are preparing our students for the working world through practical, useful and transferable skills.

 Lisa Smith

 

 Employee # 62156

  

 Pay from

2009/03/23

 To

2009/04/06

 Date

2009/04/07

 STATEMENT OF EARNINGS

 EMPLOYEE DEDUCTIONS AND EMPLOYER CONTRIBUTIONS

 

 TYPE

 

 HOURS

 RATE

 AMOUNT

 Y.T.D.

 TYPE

 CURRENT

 Y.T.D.

  

  

  

 001 Basic Pay

 40.00

 11.00/hr

 440.00

 2200.00 

 E.I. CPP TAX 

 7.92

15.2068.20

 39.6076.00

341.00

   

   

  

 

          

 SUMMARY

 

 GROSS PAY

 DEDUCTIONS

 NET PAY

 NET PAY ALLOCATION

 CURRENT

 

 440.00

 91.32

 348.68

 348.68 – Direct Deposit

  YEAR-TO-DATE

 

 2200.00

 456.60

 1743.40

 

Statement of Earnings Care to Care Inc.150 Main StreetWinnipeg, ManitobaR2V 0D2(204) 989-1234

Reading a Pay Stub

Work with a partner. Answer the questions. Use complete sentences. 1. Who is this pay stub for? _____________________________________________________________ 2. Where does the employee work? _____________________________________________________________ 3. What is Lisa’s employee number? _____________________________________________________________ 4. What was deducted from Lisa’s cheque? Name the deductions. __________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________ 5. What were Lisa’s total deductions for this pay cheque? _____________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________ 6. How much total tax has Lisa paid in 2009? _____________________________________________________________ 7. How much money will go into Lisa’s bank account for this pay period? What is her net pay? _____________________________________________________________ 8. How much does Lisa make per hour? _____________________________________________________________ 9. When will Lisa’s net pay go into her bank account? _____________________________________________________________ 10. What does CPP mean? _____________________________________________________________