Welcome to our web page that describes a two year project that was interested in understanding the learning paths of workers with low literacy skills. Funded by the former National Literacy Secretariat, Human Resources and Social Development Canada, it looked at the different types of workplace education programs offered at 7 innovative companies across Canada and the kinds of informal learning that their workers undertook back on the shop floor. The project also had a comparative component to it with the United Kingdom and four worksites in the North and South of Greater London.

This web page is designed so that you can access any of the documents that were developed from the project. For example, on the right hand side are the 7 Canadian case studies written by the field researchers who were an integral part of the research team. Their stories represent the relatedness of formal and informal training for workers with low skills at small, medium and large companies and include Boeing Technology Canada, Uni-Select Inc., Elmsdale Lumber Co. Ltd., High Liner Foods, Dofasco, Palliser, and the Clearwater Fish Plant.

On the left hand side of this page are other ways of reading about the project. At the top of the page is the Executive Summary which provides a short overview of the project findings followed by a French document called Résultats et portée de la recherche. For readers interested in workplace basic skills in the United Kingdom, the multi-site case study write up may be of relevance. Next is a more academic version of the project entitled The Value of Formal and Informal Training for Workers with Low Literacy: Exploring Experiences in Canada and the United Kingdom. This is followed by a digest which connects research with policy and finally a description of how the project was conducted including the tools that were used. Please download, print and reproduce these documents giving appropriate credit.

Maurice Taylor
Project Director, Partnerships in Learning