Provincewide Summit on Adult Learning

About 150 representatives of business, labour, industry, government and community-based learning organizations will look at ways to help more adult Nova Scotians upgrade their literacy and life skills at an adult education summit in Halifax on Thursday, Jan. 19.

The Working Together, Learning Together summit, organized by the Department of Education, follows the recent release of Statistics Canada's International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey. The survey indicated that about 62 per cent of adults in Nova Scotia have the prose literacy skills they need to succeed in a job in today's knowledge-based economy.

"While Nova Scotia's efforts in adult literacy and workplace education are successful, there is always more to be done if we're going to help more Nova Scotians upgrade their skills," said Education Minister Jamie Muir. "This summit is a chance to share ideas, contribute suggestions and address issues related to adult education across different sectors."

Findings from the summit will be included in a report that will be distributed to all summit participants. These findings will influence government policies and initiatives, as well as new adult literacy and workplace education programs involving the labour, industry, community and business sectors.

"We all share a responsibility for advancing literacy," said Ann Marie Downie, executive director, Literacy Nova Scotia. "This summit is a good opportunity to hear from all the players in the adult literacy and workplace education fields, and to develop strategies to help adults with lower literacy levels improve their skills and succeed in the workplace."

During the one-day consultation, a Statistics Canada representative will outline Nova Scotia's performance on the survey. Panelists from the Department of Health, Elmsdale Lumber Co. Ltd., the Trucking Human Resources Sector Council and the Guysborough County Adult Learning Association will highlight innovative adult literacy and workplace education initiatives at their organizations.

The afternoon will be dedicated to discussion about the implications of current adult literacy and essential skills levels in the province and possible strategies to improve adult and workplace education programs in the future.

"We want to focus on promising ideas, as well as the role all sectors play in building adult literacy levels in the province," said Mr. Muir. "While government plays a central role in this process, business, industry, community organizations and labour can all make significant contributions."

The summary report of summit findings will be available in upcoming weeks at www.ednet.ns.ca . More information about the International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey is available at the Statistics Canada website at www.statcan.ca/english/dai-quo .