The Canadian government has completed a number of studies about adult literacy and concluded that our economy could well be in trouble if we don’t improve the essential skills of many of  our citizens. These skills are defined as “the skills that people need for work, learning and life. They are used in the community and the workplace, in different forms and at different levels of complexity.” See  this link for details.

The government is working to link the above essential skills ot specific occupations as identified by the National Occupational Classification. More detailed information on these is available at http://www.jobfutures.ca.

To complete a self-assement on your essentail skills and work habits, see this Government of Ontario website. A faciliator’s guide for the previous tool is available under this link.  To learn more about incorporating these skills into your curriculum, see http://awal.ca. To see lesson plans prepared by ESL teachers that incorporate essential skills for ESL students heading to a variety of occupations, see  this link.