2. 9 Essential Skills
These nine essential skills
provide the foundation for
success in work, learning,
and life.
1. Reading
2. Document Use
3. Numeracy
4. Writing
5. Oral Communication
6. Working with Others
7. Thinking
8. Computer Use
9. Continuous Learning
3. In 2012, the Programme for the
International Assessment of Adult
Competency discovered that
47% of adults in Ontario do not
have the literacy and essential
skills for learning, work, and life.
5. Parents play a vital role in their
children’s learning. The higher
the level of a parent’s education
and skill level, the higher the
likelihood that the child will
succeed in school.
6.
7. • People with low literacy skills are more
likely to experience unemployment and
are twice as likely to be unemployed
for six months or more.
• Low literacy skills can represent a risk
to workplace health and safety.
8. Based on the 2011
National Household Survey,
24% of people in
Brantford do not have
their high school diploma.
9. • Young people are dropping out before
completing their high school education.
• Approximately 29% of Grand Erie
students who wrote the grade 10 literacy
test in the 2014-2015 school year were
unsuccessful.
10. • Money /Poverty
• Job
• Health issues
• Disability
• Lack of childcare
• Transportation
• Lack of personal motivation
• Home situation
11. • Ontario will experience a skill shortage in the near
future. Improving literacy rates will be critical to
our province’s future economic health
• It is estimated that by 2031, Ontario will need 77%
of its workforce to have post-secondary credential
12. Only 21% of people with low
literacy skills try to access further
education or training programs.
13.
14. Close to 50% of adults with the
lowest levels of literacy live in
low income households.
15. Raising the literacy levels
of people is one of the
most important ways to
encourage lifelong learning
in our community.
16. • Provide people with the opportunity
to learn while understanding their
personal barriers to learning and
education
• Provide a positive, open-minded learning
environment
• Have an understanding of past learning
experiences and how it may affect their
learning now and in the future
• Ensure people have their basic
needs met by referring people to
programs and services
• Understand that people of all walks
of life can experience challenges
with literacy
• Break down the barriers
We need to…
18. Increased literacy skills are strongly
linked to economic growth and
prosperity. A 1% increase in literacy
skills would lead to an increase of
$18.5 billion per year in Canada’s GDP.
Literacy and the Economy
19. • Having the essential skills to
obtain and maintain employment
• Having the digital literacy skills
needed for the 21st century
• Upgrading your math skills to start
an apprenticeship
• Access to education and training
• Having the ability to succeed in
completing high school credit
courses
Literacy means…
20. • Writing your GED
• Being prepared to enter a post-secondary
school program
• Being able to read to your children or
grandchildren
• Financial independence
Literacy means…
