DOCUMENT RESUME ED 382 869 CE 069 050 TITLE Occupational Literacy. A Training Profile Development Project for Ontario Basic Skills/Formation de base de l'Ontario. INSTITUTION Ontario Ministry of Skills Development, Toronto. PUB DATE 89 NOTE 361p. PUB TYPE Reports Research/Technical (143) EDRS PRICE MFO1 /PC15 Plus Postage. DESCRIPTORS Adult Basic Education; Adult Literacy; *Basic Skills; *Behavioral Objectives; *Communication Skills; Computer Literacy; Employer Attitudes; Foreign Countries; French; Job Skills; *Literacy Education; *Numeracy; Profiles; Science Process Skills; Vocational Adjustment IDENTIFIERS Ontario; *Workplace Literacy ABSTRACT This document resulted from a project undertaken to develop a set of program-specific and occupationally relevant performance (learning) obje :tives for the Ontario Basic Skills/Formation de Base de 1'Ontario (OBS/FBO) program. It describes project activities, including a literature review in three related areas: understanding what literacy means, occupational literacy research findings, and basic skills for the workplace. Two project stages are discussed. The first is a survey in English and French of 325 Ontario (Canada) employers in 9 industrial sectors. The survey identified the core basic skills required at three entry levels to employment. The second stage is the consolidation of the survey findings into preliminary performance objectives for each of the six subject areas in OBS/FBO: communications, numeracy, science, computer literacy, work adjustment, and technical hands-on. The terminal performance objectives are presented in the body of the report. Appendixes, amounting to over one-half of the report, include the following,: lists of employers surveyed; survey results; provincial, regional, and sectoral results; occupational sector job positions; onsite points of observation; OBS terminal and enabling objectives; and FBO terminal and enabling objectives. (YLB) *********************************************************************** Reproductions supplied by EDRS are the best that can be made * * from the original document. *********************************************************************** OCCUPATIONAL LITERACY A Training Profile Development Prcject For Ontario Basic Skills/ Formation de base de l'Ontario Ontario Ministry of Skills Development Literacy 1998Branch U.S. DEPARTMENT Of EDUCATION Ofhce of Educational Research and improvement "PERMISSION TO REPRODUCE THIS EOCAT1ONAL RESOURP.ES INFORMATION MATERIAL HAS BEEN GRANTED BY CEtri R (ERIC) 'Thisdocument hat been reproduced as received from the person or organization origmating rt .t O Minor changes Ilene been made to improve reproduction duality PornIs Of yrs.* or opinions staled in this docu- ment do not necessarily represent official TO THE EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES OERI positron or polwy INFORMATION CENTER (ERIC)." BEST COPY AVAILABLE LITERACY BRANCH ONTARIO MINISTRY OF SKILLS Conutsunity and Workplace DEVELOPMENT Literacy Unit Occupational Literany A Training Profile Development Project for Ontario Basic SdlirlFormation de base de l'Ontario ABSTRACT The OBSIFBO Training Profile Development Project was undertaken to developa set of program-specific and occvationally-relevant performance (learning) objectives for the OBSIFBO -rogram. The project was a collaborative effort of Ontario Ministry of Scilly Development and the Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology. There were two stages to the project. Thffirst wasasavey,in Eng _lish and French of 325 Ontario emplarers in 9 indurtrial sectors. Thesurveyidezdfred the core basicskills required at three envy levels to employment. The second stagewas the consolidation of the stave y findings into preliminaryperformanceobjectives for each of thesicsubjectareas in OBSIFBa Once refiner, these objectives will serve as the building blocks for development of models of integrated delivery. Instruction would then be ableto reflect the reality of the workplace where performance requires the application of combinations of skills. This Report is divided into three colour-coded sections: i) White: Description of the Project. Includes a review of the recent literature on occupational literacy, and sets out the researdh findings and theprocess of developing the performance objectives. ii) Yellow: Research Includes the employer survey questionnaire results and charts of the data analyses by sector, region and province. (See reverse side of Abstract or summary of findings) iii) Green: Basic Skills Training Prof* (English and French) An inventory of learning objectives for the sir subjectareas, at three levels of achievement, of the OBSIFBOpmgram. The learning objectives reflect the skills identified by the employer survey. Since this report is essentially a working docanent, only limitedcopies are available. Readers are welcome to reproduce the document. FINDINGS OF THE EMPLOYER SURVEY (1988) Communications For all occupational sectors- semiskilled skilled and pa :professional - employees require high levels of listening and speaking skills. Semiskilled employeesread notes, letters and memos, interpret schedules, charts, tables, policy manuals, regulations andinstructions and work job °rpm/rase orders. In additionto these reading competencies, the skilled and essionak must read technical reports, vouchers and claims.All three occupational everequire the ability to ,vrepare short notes in the work setting.However, this is the only form of writing required for semislcilkd positions: Theskilled and rofessionals must be able to prepare a wider variety of writing formats,particularly memos, estimates and reports. Numeracy Semiskilled positions in Ontario a limited set of skills. These include performing calculations wing who members,fractions, and percentages, recognizing common shapes and angles, estimating andmeasuring distance, area weight and volume using metric and imperialrneasurenents. The skilled and paraprofessionals must be able to make calculations with whole numbersusing algebra at a one variable kvel. Insame industrial sectors- mainly inamsfacturing natural resources and construction- some require skills in basic geometry, trigonometry and algebra feazrofessions at the two variable Science No science content is required for individualsin semiskilled positions. The skilled and parrzprofessioals require avery limited background in general science, chemistry and physics. However, sciencecontent is more important for particular sectors, mainly health care, manufacturing, natural resources andconstruction. Computer Literacy Computer 'racy is. advantageousor essential pr individuals functioning a the skilled and paraprofessional level but not for the senrisidlkri. Work Adjustment Work ad skills are critical to all three occupationallevels, particularly interpersonal skills,job attitudes and behaviours and safety relatedimam Technical Hands-On Technical hands-on sldllsare most applicable to the semiskilled and skilled occupational levels with the skilled level requiring thegreatest diversity. INTRODUCTION This report describesthe development of proposed learning objectives for an occupationalliteracy program. Known as the Ontario Basic Skills/Formationde base de l'Ontario (OBS/FB0), the program was introducedby the Ontario Ministry of Skills Development in thefall of 1986 as part of the Ontario Training Strategy,a comprehensive package of programs designed to strengthen the Province'seconomic performance.. The OBS/FBO program is deliveredby the Ontario Colleges of Applied Arts and Technology. Though the role of theprogram was clear from its inception, itwas understood that its specific character and learningobjectives would need to evolve as time andresources permitted. Accordingly, the Ministry of Skills Developmentfunded this project, initiated in December, 1987. The product was a collaborativeeffort of the Ministry of Skills Development and the_rant line program deliverypeople in the colleges. Ministry staff were guidedby the belief that by involving the instructors,counsellors and others in direct contact with thelearners, we would carvea more effective product anda stronger program. Those who participated in the projectcame away with a sense of excitement and promise aboutthe product. A central conclusion emergingfrom this project was thatany curriculum based on the profileshould integrate learning objectives and activitiesto reflect the way thattasks are performed in the workplace. In order to do this, a second stage in the project was proposedprior to any implementation by the colleges. This second stage will pilotthe integration of objectives, learningactivities and related learning materials asa model for future curriculum development by the colleges. It will be initiated in the Fall of 1989 and will beundertaken in partnership withthe colleges in the 1989/90 academicyear. Although originally intendedonly for the OBS/FBOprogram, the eventual product of thisproject may well have application for otheremployment-related basic skills programs. At the least, the researchunderpinning is sufficiently genericas to be useful to a broader constituency. Three individuals are singled out for their commitmentand dedication to the task: Mr. Rick Habra. of Humber College who wore many hats, including projectmanager, principal facilitator and writer of the chapters dealing withthe analyses of the occupational survey; Dr. Maurice Taylor of Algonquin College who served as the principal designerof both the survey instrument and the data analysisprocess, and wrote the Review of the Literature;