[NLA] Skills Gap report

[Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council]

Just a footnote to Mary Lynn's message:
When employers realize their workers are sustaining more *injuries* in a
labor-intensive job held in a workplace where safety notices go up on
bulletin boards rather than being passed on verbally THEN -- **may**be they
will put their money where their mouth is!  (Since when did employers care
about life skills or family or time away from their workplace? Another pipe
dream!)

Nancy Hansen
Sioux Falls Area Literacy Council
South Dakota
sfliteracy at mcleodusa.net

----- Original Message -----
From: <mlcarver at nslsilus.org>
To: <nla at lists.literacytent.org>
Sent: Friday, March 15, 2002 9:57 AM
Subject: RE: [NLA] Skills Gap report


I also think a large part of the skills gap perceived by HR & CEO/COO types
equates knowledge of English (native and non-native) with literacy.  If we
don't define literacy the same way, we aren't looking at the same skills
gap. Employers want bodies who can follow orders with a minimum of
communications errors.  My observation has been that those of us in literacy
prefer to help people improve their reading and life skills to help them in
more areas than just work.  When employers realize the work skills gap is
also a life skills gap, they will (hopefully) see the need to put more money
into literacy to improve their potential employee pool. (I can dream!)
Mary Lynn Carver
Lake County Adult Learning Connection
Waukegan, IL
mlcarver at nslsilus.org

Original Message:
-----------------
From: M C Smith mcsmith at niu.edu
Date: Thu, 14 Mar 2002 11:44:13 -0600
To: nla at lists.literacytent.org
Subject: [NLA] Skills Gap report


Another point which Tom Sticht did not mention, but is worthwhile to note
regarding the validity of the Skills Gap report: These surveys are almost
always completed either by the company's HR director or the CEO/COO or a
close underling. The responses are often simply these individuals'
impressions of the characteristics of their workforce--almost always based
on inadequate data. How many HR directors or CEOs spend any time directly
observing workers on the shop floor? Even shop supervisors may have
inadequate or incomplete information regarding the skills (literacy or
otherwise) or the workers whom they supervise. Many manufacturing jobs, for
example, require little "literacy" in the sense that the average layperson
thinks of it--reading and writing and, maybe, a bit of math. So,
supervisors and managers have little opportunity to witness what their
employees are capable of doing. Another point--many companies across the US
have terminated their workplace literacy and basic skills programs for
employees, suggesting either that there is no "skills gap" or these
companies are simply not putting their money where their mouth is, to quote
my old Uncle Benny.

M Cecil Smith, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Educational Psychology
Northern Illinois University
mcsmith at niu.edu

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