Ottawa Community Coalition for Literacy

Understanding Essential Skills

Essential Skills are the skills needed for work, learning and life. They provide the foundation for learning all other skills and enable people to perform tasks required by their jobs as well as adapt to change. The skills are generic and are used in virtually all occupations and throughout daily life. They are transferable from school to work, job to job and sector to sector.

Through extensive research, the Government of Canada and other national and international agencies have identified and validated nine Essential Skills. The research included interviews conducted with over 5000 Canadian workers by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC).

The Essential Skills are:

Reading Text	Working with Others
Document Use	Continuous Learning
Numeracy	Thinking Skills
Writing	Computer Use
Oral Communication

There is more information below or follow these links:

Ontario Skills Passport (OSP)
http://skills.edu.gov.on.ca/OSPWeb/jsp/en/OSPskillsandworkhabits.jsp?announc

This site provides a variety of tools and resources such as the Check-In Tool that practitioners can use for intake, referral and planning. The site also includes a list of Work Habits:

Working Safely	Initiative
Teamwork	Self-advocacy
Reliability	Customer Service
Organization	Entrepreneurship
Working Independently

HRSDC’s Essential Skills Website
www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/essential_skills/general/home.shtml

To order the free publications and research materials available on Essential Skills visit:
www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/essential_skills/general/tools_apps.shtml

Essential Skill	Description
Reading Text	The comprehension of text consisting of sentences and paragraphs
Document Use	The use of labels, lists, signs, graphs, charts, tables, forms and similar materials
Numeracy Money Math Scheduling, Budgeting and Accounting Measurement and Calculation Data Analysis Numerical Estimation	Use mathematical skills to make financial transactions such as handling cash, preparing bills and making statements Plan and monitor the best use of time and money Measure and calculate quantities, areas, volumes and/or distances Collect and analyze of numerical data Produce estimates in numerical terms
Writing	Prepare written materials for a variety of purposes
Oral Communication	Use speech to exchange thoughts and information
Working with Others Continuous Learning	Interact with others to complete tasks. Participate in an ongoing process to improve skills and knowledge
Thinking Skills Job Task Planning and Organizing Decision Making Problem Solving Finding Information	Planning and organizing one’s own work Use appropriate information to make any type of decision Identify and solve problems Use a variety of sources to find information
Computer Use	The use of any type of computerized technology

Community Literacy of Ontario – Essential Skills (ES) – A series of four informative bulletins

Bulletin 1 – www.nald.ca/clo/newslet/essential/dec07/1.htm
The Main Course – The Nine Essential Skills, An Introduction to ES Profiles, Essential Skills in Action

Bulletin 2 – www.nald.ca/clo/newslet/essential/feb08/1.htm
Simplifying the Complexity Levels, ES profiles – How to Use the NOC profiles like a pro

Bulletin 3 - www.nald.ca/clo/newslet/essential/apr08/1.htm
Apples to Oranges – Making LBS to ES Level Comparisons, ES Profiles – Using the Profiles to Develop Training Plans

Bulletin 4 - www.nald.ca/clo/newslet/essential/june08/1.htm
A Tour of the Reader’s Guide, Understanding ES Complexity levels, NOC-ES Profiles Connection

Literacy and Essential Skills Toolkit

The Literacy and Essential Skills Toolkit is a series of free tools that help address different literacy and essential skills challenges. The Toolkit offers support in the following areas: Awareness, Assessment, Learning and Training.
www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/essential_skills/general/toolkit.shtml

Awareness Learning

Assessment Training Supports

National Occupation Classification (NOC)

The NOC provides a standardized language for describing the work performed by Canadians in the labour market.
www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/noc/index.shtml

Essential Skills Profiles

Essential Skills profiles describe how each of the nine Essential Skills is used by workers in a particular occupation.
www10.hrsdc.gc.ca/es/english/ES_Profiles.aspx

For Learners

Learning Edge #7 – Essential Workplace Skills – a video related to taxi driving skills – interactive and fun!
www.thewclc.ca/edge/issue7/index.html

Learning Edge #9 – Transferable skills – skills you can use in other
workplaces
www.thewclc.ca/edge/issue9/index.html

How do your skills measure up?
Learners can self-evaluate using these activities. This site has activities to practice three Essential Skills (Reading Text, Document Use and Numeracy) needed in all types of occupations.
http://measureup.towes.com/

The Essential Skills Indicator

The Essential Skills Indicator is a pilot tool that will help learners gain a better understanding of their Essential Skills levels. It contains a series of short quizzes that will provide an indication of skill strengths and areas that may require improvement. Learners can choose a quiz for Numeracy - Level 1, 2 or 3 or Document Use – Level 1, 2 or 3
www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/essential_skills/general/online_indicator.shtml

Pour information en français cliquez sur:
www.coalition.on.ca/formaction/