Understanding Literacy

To help understand the impact and importance of the five soft skills, CLO partnered with Adaptimist Insights to review existing literature on the topic of soft skills training and its impact on adult education.

This literature review investigates best practices for incorporating psychoeducational programming into existing literacy programs. The objectives of the project are threefold:

1) to identify the key emotional and social deficits most associated with contemporary literacy challenges, 

2) to make recommendations about specific soft skill remediations that could improve literacy at both the individual and group levels, and 3) to identify the mechanics necessary to deliver such programming in the most efficient way possible

According to the International Adult Literacy Skills Survey (IALS), forty-two percent of Canadians have reading, writing, numeracy and essential skills below the level considered necessary for the demands of modern life and work.

Unlike many other industrialized countries, Canada does not have a national literacy strategy in place, and no federal government resources directly support literacy instruction programs. Literacy and skills upgrading programs are supported by provincial governments. In Ontario, these programs are generally funded by the Ministry of Labour, Immigration Skills Training and Development and run by community-based agencies, school boards, and colleges. In Toronto and York Region, these literacy and basic skills programs serve over 11,000 adults looking to develop or improve their skills. MTML provides support to these programs to help coordinate and promote LBS and ensure that people access the services and assistance they need.

To find a literacy or basic skills upgrading program in Toronto or York Region, visit our Programs page.

Developed by Frontier College: The report’s key recommendation is that governments need to recognize literacy as not only a policy priority but a basic human right. Moreover, funders need to expand their thinking beyond support for single projects to include more comprehensive, integrated programs 

Discussion Paper 2021

This research paper examines how the definition of adult literacy has evolved over time and what is contributing to these changes. We will talk about the implications of these new definitions and the importance of being a part of the conversation when definitions are made.

Finally, this paper will also include examples of how adult literacy is defined in comparable jurisdictions.