The Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) Program provides training opportunities in literacy, numeracy and academic upgrading to adults in Ontario whose literacy levels currently fall below the Grade 10 academic level in the Ontario Secondary School system. Funded by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, LBS is one of the key programs of Employment Ontario, Ontario's integrated network of employment programs and services.
Goals of the program
- to help Ontario move towards a seamless adult education system which supports lifelong learning
- to ensure adults anywhere in Ontario have access to the reading, writing, numeracy and computer skills training they need in order to help them be successful in the daily tasks of life, learning and work
- to support literacy agencies in providing quality services that meets learners’ needs
- to ensure accountability to government, the public and to learners in the provision of literacy services that are effective, efficient, and productive, demonstrating measurable results
- to foster closer links between literacy training and employment
In this section, we explore the following topics:
- LBS Program Guidelines
- Another Point of View
- Overall Structure of Ontario’s LBS Program
- LBS Within the Broader Employment Ontario System
- Services Provided by the LBS Program
- The Ontario Adult Literacy Curriculum Framework
- What an LBS Program Looks Like
LBS Program Guidelines
The Literacy and Basic Skills Program Guidelines originally published by the Ministry of Training Colleges and Universities (MTCU) in 1999, revised in 2000 and revised again in 2010, provide what agencies need in order to run the program. The document defines the program’s principles, objectives and focus, and details the programs services, funding and administrative procedures. The LBS Program guidelines provide part of the contract between LBS agencies and MTCU
Visit the LBS Program Guidelines and be prepared to spend a bit of time becoming acquainted with the following:
Program Introduction
- Program Principles
- Assumptions
- Objectives of the LBS Program
- Accountability
- Functions and Services
- Focus and Eligibility
Service Delivery
- Literacy and Basic Skills Services
- Information and Referral
- Assessment
- Training plan Development
- Training
- Follow-Up
- e-Channel
Service Development
- Service Development
- Local planning and Coordination
- Field Support
- Research and Development
Business Planning and Funding
- Business Planning
- General Funding Information
- Funding Service Delivery
- Funding Service Development
- Reporting Requirements
- Annual Business Planning Cycle
Administration
- LBS Contract
- Service Quality Management
- Information Management
- Privacy Protection
- Directives
- Implementing Learning Outcomes
- Developing Common Assessment
Check the Appendices for additional information on the following
- Financial Reporting and Audit Guidelines
- Core Quality Standards
- Key Definitions and Acronyms
- Literacy for the Workplace
- Ontario Works
- Post-Training Services
- The Ontario Adult Literacy Curriculum Framework
If you are currently working in a school board LBS program, look for information that can explain some of the changes that your school board LBS administration may have introduced. Otherwise, look for statements that tell you what the Ministry expects to see as they monitor agencies across the province.
| JOURNAL REFLECTIONS: What do you think? | |
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Based on your readings, what new insight do you have about the contractual relationship that exists between school board LBS programs and MTCU? If you compare the LBS program with the literacy programs for adults that were previously available through your school board, what changes do you see e.g. new services? |
Another Point of View
The next link will take you to page 4 in Briefing Paper: Literacy and the Canadian Workforce by Sue Folinsbee – and a rather different point of view. This was a paper prepared for the Movement for Canadian Literacy with findings and recommendations based on literature research, interviews with leaders in workplace literacy, and the National Summit on Literacy and Productivity held in October, 2000.
Keep in mind... this article has a national focus. The purpose of the paper was to provide:
- a synopsis of the major issues and trends with respect to the issue of literacy and the Canadian workforce,
- recommendations for government policy makers.
It is expected that the Movement for Canadian Literacy (MCL) will use the perspectives and recommendations in this paper in continuing national discussions on the development of social policy. Take a few minutes to read through parts of this document. It has particular interest for practitioners working in LBS at this time given the emphasis in LBS on Workplace/Workforce training. Here's the link: Follinsbee Brief. To see the full article, go to: http://www.literacy.ca/public/brief/p4.htm.
| JOURNAL REFLECTIONS: What do you think? | |
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What did you think of Sue Folinbee’s article? In your opinion, what impact should the findings of this report have on the government’s literacy reform plan in Ontario? What can we in LBS learn from this paper? What ideas in this article are important to our work with adult learners? |
The Overall Structure of Ontario’s LBS Program
The goal of the Literacy and Basic Skills Program is to make literacy training accessible for all adults in Ontario who wish to upgrade their literacy skills. Currently, school boards, colleges and community agencies consisting of over three hundred sites across the province deliver the Program to over 61,000 adult learners. By supporting literacy upgrading for Anglophone, Francophone, Native and Deaf learners, the LBS Program reflects the diversity of Ontario and improves access to literacy services.
Sectoral and cross-sectoral bodies provide ongoing support, and facilitate networking opportunities for delivery agencies. They also give leadership to co-operative planning and literacy field development. Take a few minutes to view the PowerPoint presentation, “New to Adult Literacy in Ontario”, developed by Literacy Link South Central. This will give you a good picture of the infrastructure of the LBS Program and its organization across the province. It’s quite awesome.
TIP: If necessary, use the Page Up, Page Down keys to move from slide to slide. NOTE: This presentation has been recently modified slightly to reflect changes that have taken place in the LBS Program.
LBS Within the Broader Employment Ontario System
Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) is one of seventeen free programs and services available to residents of Ontario through EMPLOYMENT ONTARIO - Ontario's integrated employment and training network.
Employment Ontario helps individuals build a career and keep learning throughout their working life. It's a one-stop source of information about jobs, job search, skills, training, education and other services seeking to connect people who are looking for work with employers looking for workers.
The graphic on the right represents the various components of the Employment Ontario network. The LBS Program fits within the "Other Employment Ontario Programs" component.
The Employment Ontario Partners Gateway website provides information and support to partners and agencies delivering Employment Ontario programs and services, and it is the primary vehicle for communication from the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities for LBS agencies. Take a moment to visit http://www.tcu.gov.on.ca/eng/eopg/ now to get a sense of the kind of information you can find on that site.
LBS agencies can stay current and well-informed by frequently checking New Postings
Services Provided by the LBS Program
The primary responsibility of the LBS program is to help adults in Ontario develop the skills they need in order to be successful in life, i.e. in the workplace, in other places of learning and in the community. To fulfill this responsibility, MTCU contracts with school boards, colleges and community based programs to deliver the following five services:
- Information and Referral
- Assessment
- Training Plan Development,
- Training
- Follow-Up
Information and Referral
This service ensures that information about the program and the opportunities provided by the agency is made available to all interested parties including learners, potential learners, Employment Ontario partners, other LBS agencies, community agencies and any other person who has questions about the program. If the program is unable to meet the needs of a potential learner, appropriate referrals are made to another program or service. Information and referral services support appropriate placement and direction for clients to ensure learners receive the best possible training and services for their particular needs and goals.
Assessment
As described in the OALCF Document, Foundations of Assessment, “Assessment in adult literacy contexts is any process or procedure that gathers information for making decisions about a learner’s knowledge, skills, and behaviours. It forms a critical part of everyday activities in literacy programs, as decisions are made throughout the learning process to determine how best to meet learners’ needs.
Assessment is carried on at different times throughout the instructional process including
- intake assessment to determine starting points for learning
- ongoing assessment to monitor and track progress towards the learner’s goal, and
- exit assessment to confirm that the learner has developed the necessary skills knowledge and behaviours that will be required for success at the next step.
Learner assessment of progress and learner success is also used as a critical measure in program accountability.
Training Plan Development
In this service, practitioners work with learners to identify long-term and short-term goals that will guide the learner’s training during his or her time in LBS. Together they create a document that identifies the learner’s goals, lays out the requirements of the goal, sets out an action plan for the learner to follow and provides a means of tracking progress as achieves each milestone towards the goal completion
Training
This service includes all the planning, materials development, instruction and learning activities that take place throughout the course of the day to help the learner develop the necessary knowledge, skills and behaviours for successful goal achievement.
Follow-Up
This service includes 3-month and 6-month check-ups with learners via telephone or email for the purpose of
- encouraging continued success,
- offering additional literacy services if they are needed,
- tracking longer term effects of the program, and
- learning anything that would help improve current program delivery.
The Ontario Adult Literacy Curriculum Framework
In March, 2011, MTCU launched the new, competency-based Ontario Adult Literacy Curriculum Framework (OALCF) for LBS programs. With the OALCF, programs are introduced to a task-based approach to program planning and delivery which constitutes a shift in emphasis from skills development to tasks. The new competency-based curriculum framework helps practitioners and learners make clear connections between literacy development and the real life tasks learners perform in work, learning, and community contexts. It also provides a common language for all learning, regardless of the learners’ goals, backgrounds, and interests. This will support a common understanding among all stakeholders, both internal and external, of what individual learners can do or need to be able to do in order to be successful. To learn more, you can view a number of short OALCF PowerPoint presentations on this site.
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