Workplace and Essential Skills

Essential Skills Bulletin
from the Ontario Literacy Coalition

Essential Skills are abilities that equip individuals to fully participate in their workplace and communities. They are not just technical skills, but attitudes and capabilities, and are building blocks for learning other practical workplace and social skills. They include the ability to:

• Read text (English/French)
• Use documents (agreements, charts, tables, blueprints)
• Solve mathematical problems (arithmetic, calculation)
• Write in complete meaningful sentences
• Speak and give information in a coherent, clear fashion
• Work with others in a cooperative, positive way
• Think through problems and find solutions
• Use Computers and Internet
• Learn new skills and upgrade

Today's changing, competitive economy requires high performance in the workplace and essential skills are becoming as complex as the work settings that demand them. The development of essential skills will lead to a more flexible and innovative workforce

Resources

Human Resources and Skills Development Canada Essential Skills Resources

• Literacy and Essential Skills Tools and Resources (Essential Skills profiles)
• Defining Essential Skills
• Living and Learning: Essential Skills Success Stories
• Human Resources and Skills Development Canada Essential Skills Home Page
• Building Essential Skills in the Workplace

The Office of Literacy and Essential Skills (OLES) at Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) has designed a series of tip sheets to help individuals in the workforce address literacy and essential skills challenges.  Titles include Computer Use Tip Sheet, Document Use Tip Sheet, Oral Communication Tip Sheet, Reading Tip Sheet.  They also have resources for assessment, training and awareness available. See  OLES resources for literacy and essential skills.

Essential Skills Fact Sheets by the NWT Literacy Council give a terrific overview of the Essential Skills we use in daily life.  The fact sheets contain useful examples of essential skills in practice.

• Community Essential Skills (PDF - 122 KB)
• Families Essential Skills (PDF - 122 KB)
• Health Essential Skills (PDF - 122 KB)
• Justice Essential Skills (PDF - 124 KB)
• Workplace Essential Skills (PDF - 118 KB)

READ Society Fact Sheet: How Essential Skills Training Benefits Business

Literacy Link South Central in London, Ontario: Essential Skills for Literacy Practitioners:  A Guide and Three Workshop

Essential Skills Group Inc. produced a video that may be useful to literacy practitioners.  It provides an overview of Essential Skills and why they are important – all in less than three minutes. It is called Don't Think Essential Skills are Important? You can access it via the YouTube button to the left..

Other useful links:

ABC LifeLiteracyCanada Workplace Education homepage

Workplace Education Manitoba

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