AlphaPlus recently released a survey report that looked at how people working in Ontario’s Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) system responded to COVID-19 shutdowns in the spring of 2020. Although we weren’t surprised by the main findings, we’re concerned about the inequities in the LBS system. Currently, it’s unable to ensure all learners have the […]

This August, Alan Cherwinski and Christine Pinsent-Johnson represented the AlphaPlus team during an adult literacy roundtable discussion with Jill Andrew, MPP for Toronto–St. Paul’s. They were joined by Reb Chevalier of Parkdale Project Read and organizer Phylicia Davis-Wesseling, founder and program manager of the KGO Adult Literacy Program. Together, the group discussed how the COVID-19 […]

Statement from a national network of organizations, people and researchers concerned about adult literacy in Canada Choose success – Invest in literacy Our world is transforming rapidly. Trends such as globalization, digitalization and demographic shifts are changing work, communities, the way society functions, and how people interact. In this environment literacy skills matter. Literacy is […]

A social change charity, helping people to improve their lives through digital. We tackle the most pressing social issues of our time, working with partners in thousands of communities across the UK and further afield. https://www.tinderfoundation.org/

Brigid Hayes, a former policy advisor in the federal government’s National Literacy Secretariat (1998-2005) has a blog on adult literacy policy. An overview of its purpose is below. “From time to time, I like to share my thinking with others. Mainly I think about adult literacy and training policy. I often think about the public […]

In Ontario, our government is transforming how it collaborates with the public and provides services by migrating many everyday interactions and transactions to an online platform. This e-government service initiative includes a commitment to provide opportunities for people to advance or gain new digital skills, particularly to individuals most in need of digital literacy training. […]

Research funding announcement: ‘Digital opportunities and barriers for Ontario’s vulnerable adults’ There is a need in the adult education sector for a comprehensive analysis and review of federal and provincial employment training, social assistance policies, adult education programs, technology policies and programs and their impact on digital access for Ontario’s vulnerable adults. We are pleased […]

In August, AlphaPlus invited adult literacy stakeholders to provide feedback on the experiences literacy educators and learners had with the Programme for International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) On-line Field Trial to explore the impact of digital technology in online assessment. We summarized the feedback we received in a short report called Voices Speak to […]

The WDM – Consultants, Chris Chinien. Ph.D. and France Boutin, Ph.D., carried out a study on behalf of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC), designed to re-examine the existing concept of computer use as one of the nine Essential Skills and to make adjustments to more fully reflect the changing skills needs of Canada’s knowledge-based economy.

AlphaPlus recently published the second in our series of literacy research reports entitled Digital Technologies and E-Learning for Adult Literacy Students, Educators and Programs Literature Scan: 2005-2011.