Colleagues:

 


>From my experience in providing literacy services to

employers-manufacturing, banking, health care institutions---I draw the
following distinctions in the terminology.

 

Workforce literacy training refers to the people who are being trained
and the training can be provided in many different venues.  For example,
many hospitals do not have facilities available in the hospital to
dedicate to regular classes for literacy training.  So the workforce is
trained in adjacent educational institutions, such as a nearby high
school in one case.  Classes for third shift take place as the shift
finishes and the high school students have not arrived yet.  Classes for
first shift take place immediately a the end of the shift and the high
school has completed their regular classes.  

 

Workplace literacy classes are given right within the workplace.
Usually the instruction is based primarily on the actual needs of the
company, and the company supplies the place for any off line instruction
and assigns some computers for use when the instruction is math based,
such as the classes done in preparation for quality  assurance training.
In my experience from the past 15 years, these companies persevere the
longest.  In one case, the training extended from 1993-2003 with each
new development of product lines and processes.  

 

Work based: I have not used this term, but what it conveys to me is the
curriculum development is based on the work that the employees do.  It
has the advantage of being very expansive in that it can apply to
communications in all forms-reading, writing, interpersonal
conversation, supervisors training on how to deal with a diverse
workforce (with respect to language and culture); math as it applies to
the needs of different companies, etc.

 

These are just some thoughts from a practitioner who loves working with
multicultural constituencies and has done so in every occupation that I
have undertaken.

 

Jack Hickey- Williams

President

Empowering Resources  

 

________________________________

From: workplace-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:workplace-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Brian, Dr Donna J G
Sent: Tuesday, July 22, 2008 6:21 AM
To: The Workplace Literacy Discussion List
Subject: [Workplace 1505] Taking the Plunge into Work-Based ESL

 

 

Colleagues,

For some reason, Barbara Tondre was unable to post directly to the list,
and I was without electricity all of last evening due to a ferocious
storm that passed through, and so was without computer access.  

 

The questions that Barbara provides below are all good jumping off
places.  Which ones are of special interest to you?  To let us know,
just reply to this post with your comments.

 

Donna

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

Dear Colleagues, 

 

It is only Monday, but I thought I would try giving our discussion a
jump start by offering some prompt questions that Pat and I provided
Donna Brian.  If you are just beginning to venture into matters related
to the workplace, these questions may "speak to you".  If so, send a
reply and let us know what peaks your interest.  If on the other hand,
you've got questions you don't see here, or issues you would like to
discuss, we hope that you will introduce them.  

 

Questions about Workplace Literacy:

 

1.	The terms workforce, workplace, and work-based are often used
interchangeably in discussions of work-related literacy, basic skills,
and English language instruction.  Is one preferred over the others and
is there a marked difference in meaning?
2.	If you recognize a local need for work-related literacy services
in your community, what do you do about it?  How do you go about
approaching the employer(s) to discuss needs?
3.	What needs to happen at the initial meeting between a
company/employer and a workplace ESL provider?  (see page 74 of the
Tennessee Handbook)
4.	How do you go about identifying the language skills needed in
the workplace?  (see section starting on page 75)
5.	How can you address the work-related language needs of learners
coming to your regular ESL classes?

 

Anything pop off the page?  Let us hear from you!

 

Barbara Tondre

 

________________________________

From: workplace-bounces at nifl.gov [mailto:workplace-bounces at nifl.gov] On
Behalf Of Pat Sawyer
Sent: Monday, July 21, 2008 12:19 PM
To: workplace at nifl.gov
Subject: [Workplace 1503] What do we do first?

 

I know that many of you who are members of this discussion list are
experienced educators who have established ESOL classes in the
workplace.  There may also be others who have had little if any
experience in the workplace. 

 

 I am an "educator" and my only experience in the workplace was to wrap
Christmas presents at a department store when I was 18 years old. I
didn't know who to contact  or how to approach someone in a business
where we wanted to establish an ESOL class. This is the first and most
common question asked by those who are beginning to work with workplace
ESOL classes, "What do we do first?"

 

This question is answered many times and in many sections of our
workplace book, but if you will read page 144 in Appendix B-1 you may
begin to think about "what you do first."

 

Pat Sawyer

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