Introduction

Module Overview

Community Literacy of Ontario (CLO) (www.communityliteracyofontario.ca) is delighted to present this online, self-directed training module on the Essential Skills. This module is designed to provide literacy agencies and others with training and resources to increase knowledge and awareness of the Essential Skills in Ontario’s Literacy and Basic Skills agencies. The Essential Skills are closely linked with the work of literacy agencies as they are the foundational skills needed for work, learning, and life.

This online training module was funded by the Ontario Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. We are very grateful for their support!

“Although levels of literacy and potential for employment are linked, adult literacy is not simply a training competency. 
It is an essential life skill, a survival mechanism for the modern age.”

Excerpt from Understand your World, Adult Learners’ Week 2003 
Literacy Scrapbook, Adult Learning Australia 

It has been said that Essential Skills are the “Velcro” to which other learning and training sticks. They are, in fact, the basic skills that enable individuals to respond to the increasing and ever-changing demands that impact work, learning, and life. Without adequate Essential Skills (ES), people may miss out on opportunities to advance in the workforce, take an active role in their community, or successfully deal with daily tasks.