Literacy Facts
Statistics Canada defines literacy as follows: ‘The information processing skills necessary to use printed material commonly encountered at work, at home, and in the community.’
Many people think that literacy is just that, but according to the Literacy Basic Skills Program, literacy includes numeracy (basic math) and other essential skills that help learners achieve their goals related to further education or training, employment, or independence. For most learners, improving literacy skills leads to increased self-esteem and self-confidence.
Understanding Literacy
We often think of literacy as only the ability to read and write with ease. However, the modern definition of literacy includes reading, writing, and numeracy as part of a larger set of Essential Skills that we use every day at work, at home, and in the community. Literacy includes computer and digital technology skills, oral communication, and more. It involves understanding and being able to use the information required in today’s society in order to achieve your goals, reach your potential and navigate more easily in daily life and at work.
According to the International Adult Literacy Skills Survey (IALS), forty-two percent of Canadians have reading, writing, numeracy and essential skills below the level considered necessary for the demands of modern life and work.
Literacy Facts
Statistics Canada defines literacy as follows: ‘The information processing skills necessary to use printed material commonly encountered at work, at home, and in the community.’
Many people think that literacy is just that, but according to the Literacy Basic Skills Program, literacy includes numeracy (basic math) and other essential skills that help learners achieve their goals related to further education or training, employment, or independence. For most learners, improving literacy skills leads to increased self-esteem and self-confidence.
If you’d like to read more about how important literacy is in our society, you can readCommunity Literacy of Ontario’s report: “Literacy: Why It Matters”
http://www.communityliteracyofontario.ca/wp/wp-content/uploads/Literacy-Why-it-Matters-Digital.pdf
Do you know that:
Almost half of all Canadian adults have low literacy skills (48%)? In our province of Ontario, 42% of adults do not have the literacy skills they need for home, work and life.
Employment
People with low literacy skills have much lower rates of employment. In Ontario, just 61% of adults with the lowest literacy levels are employed, while 82% of the highest levels of literacy are in the workforce
Adults at Level 1 (lowest of 5 levels) have difficulty reading food and drug labels. Shopping for the best possible price and other everyday tasks such as paying utility bills can be difficult or impossible.
Adults at Level 2 find new material challenging and may not be able to correctly fill out a job application form or write a cheque? Many adults at this level do not realize they have a literacy problem…until they have to face a new challenge.
These two levels account for up to 48% of Canadian adults!
Adults at Level 3 are considered to have the minimum literacy level to deal with most common written information but most will have difficulties with unfamiliar or technical materials.
33% of Canadians are at Level 3
The remaining 20% of adults have the skills to understand new and challenging materials to engage fully in our technological society.
Health
Literacy is a key determinant of overall health.
Lifelong Learning
Lifelong learning is important for economic prosperity and personal growth. Raising the literacy levels of Canadians is one of the most important ways to encourage lifelong learning in our country.
Labour Force
Due to our aging population and progressively lower birth rates, Ontario will experience a skill shortage in the near future. Improving literacy rates and increasing the participation rates of people currently under-represented in Ontario’s labour force, such as people with low levels of literacy, will be critical to our province’s future economic health.
Low level literacy is linked to unemployment, low income, health issues and limited involvement in the community.