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Half of Canadians struggling with literacy: studyNearly half of Canadian adults
don't possess enough literacy skills to read directions on a pill bottle, understand a public bus schedule, or keep up with
technological advances in the workplace.
 Results from International Literacy Days have revealed that 48% of
Canadians aged 16 and older only possess a level 2 or lower in literacy. Results have been gathered across 52 200 cities, towns, and communities in the country, combined data from a 2003 international survey by Statistics Canada and the OECD with census data from 2006. The Canadian Council of Learning came up with literacy rates based on various factors such as age of the population, education levels, and economic status. The Organizations for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) defines level 2 as people have the skills to develop “a capacity to deal only with simple, clear material involving uncomplicated tasks.” People at this stage may have "everyday coping skills" but will face many challenges, such as learning new job skills, according to the OECD. Adult literacy is measured on a scale of 1 to 5. Those who are at the higher end of the scale are able to process complex information in a demanding environment. A person who has a literacy level of 3 is considered the “minimum threshold for coping with the demands of the global knowledge-based economy,” Those who resided in Saint John, N.B., had the highest percentage of adults with low literacy rates at 53%, followed by Toronto and Montreal at 50%. Victoria and Regina had the lowest proportion of adults who fall in the level 2 or lower literacy rate, with both cities tied at 31%. The council’s director, Marc Lachance, stated that reasons for the regional differences were factors such as the number of immigrants, proportion of aging adults, and the existence of social programs in that particular community. "We have to look at all the factors," said Lachance. "Income is strongly linked to literacy but it's not just about income, it's about opportunities these adults have with learning and reading. We know in British Columbia, they're more engaged in adult learning and training in the workplace." Anthony Alfred, a spokesman for ABC Canada, a non-profit literacy organization, says that these results demonstrate the difficulty of improving Canada’s literacy rates. "Literacy is not a have or have not," he said. "Canadians across the country, from all walks of life, comprehend and look at things differently. This is definitely not a black-and-white issue." Alfred said that it's not simply about the ability to read or write, but the capability of comprehension and problem-solving. "We're all at different levels of learning yet there is no doubt that there is room for improvement," he said. "We really need to push the importance to the educators, the private sector and the government. It's really an investment of skills where literacy is an essential skill." Alfred said that low levels of literacy are still discriminated against. "There is still an element of taboo out there. There's fear that people may have because they don't think there's help out there. But those who get help will see breakthroughs that will have a significant impact in the workplace, family life and their life as a citizen of this country." Read more here Posted by: suhujitha on 0000-00-00 00:00:00 Next post: Offering support is the best medicine for a stressed worker 2012-02-07 09:29:21 Other posts tagged social determinants of health, literacy, learning, workplace training, health and income, polls:
Don't forget: there is a search box on every page! Recent Posts:Offering support is the best medicine for a stressed workerWorkers who experience stress at the workplace develop psychological strain that translates into physiological symptoms, such as headaches, stomach aches and fatiguePosted by: danica on 2012-02-07 09:29:21 High levels of burnout among UK family doctors, especially in group practiceDepersonalized doctors: A cross-sectional study of 564 doctors, 760 consultations and 1,876 patient reports in UK general practicePosted by: mara on 2012-01-31 08:59:19 Majority groups support assimilation -- except when they are not majoritiesIt is hard to integrate a society to maintain minority identities and not make the majority feel their values are being rejectedPosted by: danica on 2012-01-29 11:06:21 Color-coding, rearranging food products improves healthy choices in hospital cafeteriaLabeling all foods and beverages with a simple red, yellow and green color scheme to indicate their relative healthiness led patrons to purchase more of the healthy itemsPosted by: danica on 2012-01-25 16:56:28 If you plan, then you will accomplish... but it helps to have a friendPartnering up or planning with someone can really boost the likelihood of sticking to your resolutionsPosted by: mara on 2012-01-05 09:18:08
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