LITERACY LOST – CANADA’S BASIC SKILLS SHORTFALL

Literacy is not just the ability to read, it is the ability to read and understand well and then apply what has been read to a range of problems. According to international literacy assessments, more than 40% of Canada’s workforce do not have adequate levels of the literacy skills needed to learn efficiently and be highly productive in most jobs.

RECOMMENDATION TO BC GOVERNMENT:

1.

Build and implement competency frameworks to identify skill levels and 2. 3. competencies required by jobs in the economy and embed literacy in all workforce training and education initiatives;

Mandate the new Future Skills Centre to include cognitive skills in its research and implementation programs; and,

Ensure that each of our province’s K-12 and post-secondary institutions offer an adequate number of opportunities to learn and upgrade their literacy, numeracy, problem-solving skills & other essential skills.