2010-2011 | ISSUE #2
Preparing for Work through Essential Skills:
One Job Seeker’s Experience
T
he recent story of Jim Hoult’s efforts
to find employment in Southwestern
Ontario highlights the partnerships and
possibilities that can result from successfully
involving essential skills in employment
counselling and literacy training.
Work History
Jim Hoult spent 17 years working in the
textile industry, the first five in the UK
where he was certified for textile machine
mechanics. After immigrating to Canada in
1978 he worked for 12 years at garmentmaker Harvey Woods, setting up and
maintaining their knitting machines. In
1990 the company went bankrupt and laid
off all 600 employees. Jim then enrolled at
Fanshawe College to learn a new trade, and
he obtained his license in millwrighting.All
seemed to be going well for Jim – he found
employment as a millwright with Siemens
VDO – but eventually the company
downsized and Jim was laid off again.
Jim was hesitant – he had never needed
help finding work in his life – but he
decided to visit Woodstock’s Community
Employment Services. There he met
Employment counselor Julie Matheson and
was referred to the Job Finding Club. Julie,
who has been working in social services
for nearly 23 years, the most recent 11 as
an employment counselor, says the nonprofit organization tries to limit the number
of hurdles clients have to go through. “It
Job seeker Jim Hoult enlisted the help of an
employment counselor and essential skills expert
to identify which essential skills he needed to
upgrade and what futher education was required
for him to go back to work.
can be a big step for people to come in. We
don’t want people to wait in order to get the
information they need.”
The three collaborated,
identifying which essential
skills needed upgrading
and what further education
was required in order to
create a back-to-work plan
for Jim that was achievable,
realistic, and reflective of
his strengths and goals.
Within a few days, Julie and Jim began
to discuss suitable employment for Jim.
The initial discussions focused on Jim’s
interests and previous work experience to
help them gain a greater understanding of
Jim’s potential opportunities. Together they
completed an assessment and employment
service needs inventory, noting Jim’s talents
as well as specific areas that were barriers
to employment. Jim decided he would like
continued on page 2
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Preparing for Job Opportunities
through Essential Skills
Continued from page 1
to become an HVAC (Heating, Ventilating,
and Air-Conditioning) technician.
Training to Support
Employment Prospects
Jim and Julie decided that the best first
step toward his career goal would be
to obtain his GED (General Education
Development or high school equivalency)
certificate. Although Jim had completed
high school in the UK, he felt that having
Canadian accreditation would be an asset
to his job search. Jim found that “joining
the Job Finding Club and Julie’s services
were very helpful.”
“Fanshawe programs bring
real life context through
the use of essential skills in
our lessons, assignments,
and demonstrations.
Participants are getting
the best of both worlds:
academic training that
exposes them to the
skills and activities that
are required in their
career of choice.”
Valerie Currie, Academic
Upgrading Coordinator
Julie then contacted Valerie Currie, who
was the Academic Upgrading Coordinator
for the Woodstock campus of Fanshawe
College. Julie and Valerie have been working
together for over eight years and both see
the advantage in employment counselors
and literacy practitioners working together
to support people in their employment
goals. Valerie says when they work together
the approach becomes more holistic: “we
work together to keep the participant on
track and to recognize their successes so
that they stay motivated to complete their
Jim was supported in his back-to-work plan by employment counselor Julie Matheson and essential skills
expert Valerie Currie.
program.” This is exactly how they helped
Jim. The three collaborated, identifying
which essential skills needed upgrading
and what further education was required in
order to create a back-to-work plan for Jim
that is achievable, realistic, and reflective of
his strengths and goals.
Employment and
Essential Skills Development
The working relationship that Valerie, an
educator of 11 years, has fostered with
employment counselors has made her a
strong advocate for embedding essential
skills learning into upgrading and GED
education. With Fanshawe programs
Valerie says, “essential skills development is
embedded in our upgrading programs. We
bring real life context through the use of
essential skills in our lessons, assignments,
and demonstrations. Participants are
getting the best of both worlds: academic
training that exposes them to the skills and
activities that are required in their career of
choice.” This philosophy met Jim’s needs
so he enrolled full-time, improving his
essential skills and completing his GED
certificate at the same time.
Jim successfully completed a full-time
GED program with Fanshawe and also
completed a Learn to Learn course where
he developed his online skills. Since then
Jim has found part-time employment to
earn some income. While he searches for
full-time employment, Jim is continuing
to develop his skills through an ACE
(Academic and Career Entrance or postsecondary preparatory) math course,
which will qualify him for the HVAC
certification training. Jim maintains that
while going back to school was, “very
difficult to begin with, and at times the
whole process can be very stressful with
lots of paperwork and forms to fill in, it’s
the best thing I ever did.”
Essential Skills Jim Developed
• Reading
• Writing
• Numeracy
• Continuous Learning
• Computer Use
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• Document Use
• Oral Communications
• Working with Others
• Thinking Skills: Decision Making, Problem
Solving, and Job Task Planning
Standardized Assessment Tools
To help with this important first step in skills development, assessment tools are available through HRSDC’s Essential Skills website. There are
also several formal standardized tools that allow for an even greater assessment, which are easily comparable over time and across individuals.
CAMERA and TOWES are two such Canadian tools. The following descriptions highlight the purpose and potential uses of each.
CAMERA www.ptp.ca/publications/camera
Communications and Math Employment Readiness Assessment
(CAMERA) is a series of standardized tests that are part of an integrated
assessment and curriculum system to help adult learners develop the
skills they need for employment. The assessments incorporate authentic
workplace documents, input from employers, and HRSDC Essential
Skills Profiles to give a snapshot of learners’ skills.
Which essential skills does CAMERA test?
• Reading text
• Writing
• Document use
• Numeracy
CAMERA reports test results based on the Essential Skills Levels 1 to 3,
for each of the four skills tested.
Who is CAMERA for?
The focus is on adult learners that want to strengthen their literacy,
communication, and numeracy skills for work. CAMERA tasks come
from a variety of occupations and job sectors highlighting the underlying
essential skills needed for success at any entry-level job. The tests provide
information on learners’ strong skills and those that need improvement.
Who administers CAMERA?
A trained CAMERA assessor administers the various assessment tools.
To become a CAMERA assessor you must attend a training session with
PTP Adult Learning and Employment Programs.
Using CAMERA
The CAMERA system is made up of three components. The first is
a series of seven standardized assessments that uses realistic workplace
tasks for evaluation. The other two components are Signposts curriculum
guidelines and workwrite workbooks of activities for skills practice.
TOWES www.towes.com
Test of Workplace Essential Skills (TOWES, pronounced “tao-z”) is a series
of standardized assessments that measures three of the essential skills needed
for employment. Test takers assume the role of a worker and use information
embedded in authentic documents to solve real-world problems.
Which essential skills does TOWES test?
• Reading text
• Document use
• Numeracy
TOWES reports test results based on the Essential Skills Levels 1 to 4 as
well as the IALS 500-point scale.
Who is TOWES for?
TOWES has several versions of assessments. The most commonly used
is the General Series, which is applicable across a variety of occupations
and industries. The Sector Series tests specifically for an industry, for
example health care or manufacturing. TOWES also develops custom
assessments on demand. An online adaptive version, including an oral
fluency element and certification of skills for work, will be available soon.
Who administers TOWES?
In Ontario, literacy providers can contact their local community
college or Connect Strategic Alliances to purchase tests or preparatory
training materials. All test administrators must participate in online
training and receive certification before administering TOWES.
Using TOWES
Through the use of authentic workplace documents and problems
TOWES is able to evaluate whether someone has the Essential
Skill Levels needed for employment. The tests are suitable for a
variety of situations including employer recruitment and training,
career planning, and literacy training.
For some non-standardized assessment tools visit:
www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/essential_skills/general/tools_apps.shtml#assessment
CAMERA in Use
Halton Catholic District School Board’s Thomas Merton Centre
for Continuing Education uses CAMERA in several programs that
prepare participants for work. Colleen Berube, Literacy and Basic
Skills Program Manager explains, “With CAMERA, we see gains
in scores that are measureable and meaningful for employers,
participants, and instructors. The results allow us to target skills
gaps that are critical to preparing people for work.” CAMERA
is used periodically throughout the program as well as upon
program exit to identify gains participants have made in their
reading, writing, document use, and numeracy skills.
TOWES in Use
At Confederation College in Thunder Bay, TOWES is used
extensively in the training and development department which
offers a variety of shorter-term courses and customized preapprenticeship courses that are linked to local industry. Director
John Hatton finds that “We believe strongly in job-centred
training, and TOWES is a good fit because it’s real workplace
content. Employers see the value in it and test takers like that it
tests real life problems.” The department also uses TOWES in
combination with other assessment tools, including aptitude and
other skills tests, to help link participants and programs.
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The Nine Essential Skills
Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) has identified nine Essential Skills which are used at work, in learning
environments, and in everyday life. For more information please visit http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/essential_
skills/general/readers_guide_whole.shtml.
Continuous
Learning
Continuous learning involves keeping up with change through taking active ownership of one’s own skills
development. Continuous learning skills are used to gain knowledge through interactions with colleagues,
friends and co-workers, to find information on one’s own and to apply that information to tasks, as well as
to participate in formal courses.
Working with
Others
Working with others involves the abilities necessary to work independently, as part of a team, and as
leaders. It includes co-ordinating and integrating activities with others to accomplish shared goals.
Thinking Skills
Thinking skills includes problem solving, decision-making, critical thinking, job task planning and
organizing, significant use of memory, and finding information.
Oral
Communication
Oral communication encompasses the ways in which information and ideas are shared verbally. These
exchanges occur in person, using the telephone, and through the use of computers. Oral communication
tasks include listening to directions, providing explanations, discussing ideas, and making presentations.
Computer Use
Computer use involves the use of digital technologies. Computer use skills are used to send emails,
search the Internet, co-ordinate schedules, download documents, and to operate computerized
equipment such as hand-held devices, manufacturing machinery, cash registers, and GPS units.
Document Use
Document use involves using materials organized using graphic elements. Document use skills are used
to complete online and paper-based forms and enter information into tables, and to interpret signs, labels,
lists, maps, and graphs.
Numeracy
Numeracy involves understanding and using numbers. Numbers are used in tasks that involve money,
scheduling or budgeting and accounting, measurement and calculation, data analysis, and numerical
estimation.
Writing
Writing involves producing text that is longer than a phrase. This includes text written in sentences and
paragraphs such as notes, emails, instructions, and reports.
Reading Text
Reading text involves understanding materials written in sentences or paragraphs. Reading skills are used
to read notes, e-mails, letters, manuals, and reports.
For comments and inquiries, please contact:
Ontario Literacy Coalition (OLC)
Telephone: 416.963.5787 | Email: olc@on.literacy.ca | Website: www.on.literacy.ca
Advisory Committee
Valerie Currie, Fanshawe College, Woodstock Campus | Jacqueline Gibson, YMCA of Greater Toronto
Lesley Hamilton, Literacy Ontario Central South | John Mitteregger, Job Skills | Wendy Olson, Dryden Literacy Association
Sam Sanfilippo, Assessor, Learner Support Worker
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