Workplace Essential Skills
Training for the
Employed and Employable
Kim Hollihan, New Brunswick Post-Secondary
Education, Training and Labour &
Patrick Christie, New Brunswick Community
College
Cannexus 2011
Presentation Outline
 Program Mandate and Objectives
 Overview of WES Program
 HRSDC Essential Skills Model
 WES Delivery Process
 Demonstration of NBWES Resources
 Status Update
 Benefits for Learners and Employers
 Questions
Source: IALSS 2003
Why WES in NB?
Population Distribution of Prose Proficiency
100%
19.50%
38.60%
14.40%
35.30%
50%
27.30%
33.80%
14.60%
16.60%
Canada
New Brunswick
levels 4/5
level 3
level 2
level 1
0%
Population 16-65, Canada and New Brunswick, 2003
Program Mandate and Objectives
Mandate : To increase literacy through essential skills
training.
Objectives :
• Improve adult literacy
• Provide an accelerated path to skills improvement
• Increase participation in the labour force to ease labour
market needs
• Promote the development of a workplace culture that
reinforces that learning at all life stages is the key to full
and equal participation in our economy and society
• Explore certification and recognition
WES Training Utilizes…
• A Departmental team approach
WES Training Utilizes…
• NB WES curriculum covering all 9 Essential
Skills
WES Training Utilizes…
• Authentic workplace materials
WES Training Utilizes…
• Competency-based approach
WES Training Utilizes…
• Assessment of prior learning
WES Training Utilizes…
• Formalized assessments for learners and
workplace
Infrastructure (all within PETL)
• PETL Leadership Team – decision makers
• WES Central Office Team – provincial organizers
• WES Regional Teams – 7 delivery teams
• WES Centres of Excellence – expertise/resources in
essential skills (Bathurst/Saint John) – provincial in
scope (French/English)
• PETL Regional Coordination Groups – 7 to ensure
seamless delivery in regions
The HRSDC Essential Skills (ES) Model
“ Essential Skills help people perform the
tasks required by their occupation, provide
people with a foundation for learning other
skills, and enhance people’s ability to innovate
and adapt to workplace change.”
http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/
The HRSDC ES Model, cont.
 Reading Text
 Document Use
 Numeracy
 Writing
 Oral Communication
 Working with Others
 Thinking Skills
 Computer Use
 Continuous Learning
www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/worplaceskills/essential_skills/general/
understanding_es.shtml
The HRSDC ES Model, cont.
Includes ES Profiles that correspond to the job descriptions in the
National Occupational Classification (NOC).
• A brief description of the occupation
• A list of the most important Essential Skills
• Example tasks that illustrate how each Essential Skill is applied
• Complexity ratings that indicate the level of difficulty of the
example tasks
• The physical aspects of performing the job and the attitudes that
workers feel are needed to do the job well
• Future trends affecting Essential Skills
Two Main Delivery Streams
Employed delivery stream takes place in the
workplace/HUB and answers employer needs
Employable stream takes place in a community
setting and answers learner and sector needs by
matching potential employees with employers,
and/or provides learners with essential skills to
prepare them for today’s workforce
WES / CET
WES/CET
Employable
Labour exchange
Referred / self-referred
Employed
Workplace / Sector /
Hub
WES Delivery Process
1. Initial contact
2. Diagnostic of employer/sector/industry/community
needs
3. Formation of a Project Team
4. Completion of the Training Needs Assessment
5. Recommendation and development of a training plan
6. Implementation of training in the workplace or
community
7. Monitoring of learner progress and evaluation
of initiative outcomes
TRAINING NEEDS ASSESSMENT
Initial contact
Gap Analysis and
Training
Recommendation
Learner
Assessment
WES Data
Gathering
ES Profile
Demonstration of
NBWES Resources
Provincial Database of WES
Training/Learning Materials
Examples of NBWES Initiatives
Examples of NBWES Initiatives
PETL Contribution
 Assessment of organizational and individual needs
 Provision of occupational profile
 Recommendation of programs
 100% of Trainer’s salary
 WES curriculum
 Instructional materials
 Participation on the Project Team
Workplace/Sector/Industry Contribution
 Provide a classroom suitable for adult learning
 Time allowed for an employee to be a member of the
Project Team
 Time for staff to participate in the assessment of
organizational and individual needs
 Time for staff to attend training
 Participation in the program evaluation
 Other contributions identified and/or negotiated by the
Project Team
Benefits for Learners
Participation in WES training could result in learners:
• increasing their employability by enhancing their essential
skills
• believing they have more capabilities and having more selfconfidence
• taking greater pride in their work
• accepting and acting upon suggestions for their own
improvement
• developing a positive attitude toward continuous learning
• showing more initiative and becoming more innovative
• working and making decisions more independently
• getting better at detecting and solving problems
• working more effectively in teams
• having an improved ability to cope with change…
Benefits for Employers
• Both employers and employees are concerned
about the ability of today’s workforce to take on
new and more complicated assignments. Poor
literacy and essential skills levels are barriers to
making the changes and improvements needed
to compete in today’s world.
Source: Business Results Through Literacy Guidebook,
Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters – Ontario Division and HRSDC, 2004
Benefits for Employers, cont.
• Improving the literacy and essential skills levels of
employees will :
– improve productivity, quality and safety
– improve flexibility
– improve employee relations
Source: Business Results Through Literacy Guidebook,
Canadian Manufacturers & Exporters – Ontario Division and
HRSDC, 2004
The Learners’ Perspective…
“I’ve learned to communicate better and to assess
situations more clearly.”
“Today, I’m more professional working with employees,
and the outcome is that both parties are much more
satisfied and happy.”
“I applied information from this course to work with my
team and my family, for example the kids.”
“I never thought I could go back to school”
The Employer’s Perspective…
“…we believe that everybody can learn and grow
through education. I also know not all lessons can be
taught; some have to be lived. Workplace learning in
organizations can provide these opportunities and
enable anybody.” (Employer)
“At first, I could sense that the learners didn’t want to
participate. These guys had jobs to do, and training was
pretty low on their priority list. After a year, they have
started to experience the benefits of training and now
ask for more.” (Workplace Trainer)
Questions/Comments?
Thank you!
Kim.Hollihan@gnb.ca
Patrick.Christie@gnb.ca