Enhancing Employees Literacy Skills - Essay Example

Enhancing Employees’ Literacy Skills Introduction In 2009 the Australian Industry Group conducted a survey of 338 Australian companies with 56,000 employees (AI Group, 2010). The survey canvassed employers’ perspectives on literacy and numeracy concerns at work. The survey found that over 75% of participating employers indicated that their businesses were impacted by poor literacy and numeracy levels (AI Group, 2010). More specifically, the participants reported that the impact on business operations penetrated all levels of firms’ functioning. Among the consequences of low levels of workplace literacy and numeracy are: time and costs wasted in having to repeat assignments; inefficient work teams, wasted material, poor training, miscalculated finances, injuries in the workplace, unsafe practices and difficulties recruiting and retaining skilled staff (AI Group, 2010). The consequences of low levels of literacy in the workplace are therefore far-reaching. Campbell (2005) informed that “literacy skills are vital to high performance and productivity” in the workplace (p. 1). The reality is, low adult literacy in general has negative impacts not only on business activities, but on the individual and the country’s economy as a whole. Poor literacy constrains an individual in terms of career choices, impairs a business’s competiveness and thus undermines the country’s ability to compete globally (Campbell, 2005). It therefore follows that improving literacy skills in the workplace is an urgent matter. This paper proposes a project aimed at resolving this dilemma and thus suggests a program directed at employers that will enhance literary skills in the workplace. The program thus directs attention to workplace change that can enhance literacy in the workplace. Such a program envisions the creation of a workplace environment that creates learning; acknowledges the need for literacy skills, plans literacy learning environments; budgets for creating a learning environment; involves employees in the decision-making process; conducts literacy programs with a carefully crafted curriculum; invests in an able teacher; encourages employee participating; involves management; assesses programs success and failures; and takes account of multicultural factors. Thus the workplace literacy program suggested is one that not only offers literacy training for employees but also ensures that literacy learning is a part of the workplace environment. Employees are not only encouraged to participate in literacy learning programs, but are also engaged in the workplace in such a way that fosters literacy improvement. The proposed workplace literacy improvement project is realistic in that it readily accepts that workplace literacy is low and in order to improve workplace literacy change must occur in the workplace first and foremost. This workplace literacy enhancement project takes the position that a learning environment in the workplace is conducive to enhancing literacy. Thus there is an emphasis on the utility of investing in information technology and information technology training in the workplace as a supplement to general literacy training and education in the workplace. An examination of the literature identifies the efficacy of fostering a learning environment and in particular investing in and using information technology as a training and educational tool as well as a tool for business operations. A Review of the Literature Smith et al (2000) admitted that schools around the globe have systematically failed to produce the requisite number of skilled and talented workers. This may not be entirely true as a number of persons have literacy deficiencies because they either did not complete school or simply failed to attend school at all. Thus the blame is shared by both the individual and the school systems. Be that as it may, the reality is, adult literacy is a problem globally and employers have responded to the shortfall by introducing literacy programs in the workplace. These workplace literacy programs are centered around basic literacy skills such as reading, writing and numeracy and how to apply those skills in the workplace to teamwork, communications and resolving problems (Smith et al, 2000). Basic literacy skills are even more important in the age of information technology. Thus workplace literacy programs must also be combined with computer literacy and analytical skills. The reality is, virtually all businesses operate in sophisticated technologically supported environments. Employees are increasingly expected to complete tasks that involve the interpretation and use of information, technological systems as well as “personal and interpersonal resources” (Smith et al, 2000, p. 378). It is therefore essential that any workplace literacy program not only conducts basic literacy skills training, but also ensures that employees are involved in the use of computers and technology. However, merely facilitating computer literacy in terms of using computers and technology is not enough. Literacy training in the workplace takes the position that the employee needs to acquire the literacy skills necessary for recognizing, identifying, evaluating and using “information effectively” (Bruce, 1999, p. 33). Information literacy in the workplace can be facilitated by computer training. Older adults typically have negative attitudes toward computer literacy primarily related to a lack of confidence in their ability to use technology and computers. However, Baldi (1997) argued that: Their attitudes to computer use improve with experience and training, although studies show they need approximately twice as long to learn. Trainers should consider factors related to equipment, information, tasks, and individuals in designing computer instruction for older adults (p. 453). Computer and technology literacy is beneficial for a variety of reasons. The most important reason is the widespread belief that the use of computers can and does improve literacy and numeracy skills (Cummins et al, 2007). According to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (2006) there are five essential ways that information technology and computers assist in the acquisition of literacy skills. They are: 1. Enhancement of learning. 2. Increasing and improving “access to literacy education” (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 2006, p. 18). 3. The Creation of “local content” (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 2006, p. 18). 4. Professionally developing teachers. 5. Fostering a “literacy-conducive environment” (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, 2006, p. 18). It therefore follows from the report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (2006) that a learning environment in the workplace is conducive to literacy enhancement where computers/technology are used and employees are trained to use and do use computers and other forms of information technologies. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (2006) went further to add: Television, video, video-compact-disc (VCD) and digital video disc (DVD) technologies, provide words, images, movement and animation in combination with audio. This combination can facilitate reading comprehension and accelerate literacy learning. Such forms of ICT can also be entertaining and thereby motivate the target audience to watch and learn. Television and other audio-visual media can also provide a means by which to stimulate discussion and critical thinking (p. 19). In the creation of a learning environment in the workplace for enhancing literacy among employees the use of and training in the use of computers is a critical step. Logically, if the use of computers and advanced digital technologies can engage and therefore teach or enhance literacy skills, computers and advanced technologies are an essential ingredient for the creation of a learning environment in the workplace. If computers and other forms of digital technology enhance literacy in the workplace, it is not only important that computers and digital technology be in the workplace, but it is also important that employees have access to computers and that they also are willing to use these technological tools. Wolf and Evans (2011) argued that by requiring that employees take computer courses alone has the potential to enhance and develop both literacy and numeracy skills. In fact, in a majority of information technology courses, literacy and numeracy are significant parts of the course. In many cases the learner is not aware of the acquisition of literacy and numeracy skills until the course is near completion. Learners think that they are merely learning to construct spread sheets or learning to use the word processor. However grammar, spelling, reading and counting are significant parts of these learning processes and are unavoidably acquired by necessity (Wolf and Evans, 2011). Cloville College’s programme manager explained that ICT was a “useful hook for engaging learners in literacy” (Wolf & Evans, 2001, p. 57). One learner at Weapons Defence Establishment commented on the incognita literacy learning in computer courses. The learner stated that: I think it was probably good, the fact that I didn’t know before, because I probably wouldn’t have gone otherwise (Wolf & Evans, 2011, p. 57). The learner explained his reluctance to take a literacy course alone. According to the learner, his spelling was poor and he was afraid to have that deficiency exposed (Wolf & Evans, 2011, p. 57). It therefore appears that computer classes alone might be sufficient to improve literacy in the workplace. Computer courses overcomes the barrier of getting reluctant employees to participate in explicit literacy courses. It would appear from Wolf & Evans’ (2011) observations that adults do not feel appreciable levels of fear or shame in taking computer courses. However, adult learners are ashamed of their literacy deficiencies and are thus reluctant to reveal those deficiencies to others. Billet (2001) informed that the manner in which a workplace provides learning opportunities and how employees choose to “engage in work activities and with guidance provided by the workplace” will “shape how learning proceeds” (p. 209). It is important that the workplace is ready, willing and able to provide opportunities for employees to participate in “work activities” and to have “access” to “direct and indirect support” (Billett, 2001, p. 209). It is the provision of these opportunities that will promote employee engagement in work activities and will thus improve learning in the workplace (Billett, 2001). Thus the creation of a learning environment for literacy enhancement in the workplace requires cooperation. Employers must be willing to make work activities that foster learning and literacy skills available to employees and employees must be willing to take advantage of these opportunities. Therefore a key component of creating a learning environment in the workplace is the promotion and delivery of learning activities whether they are actual training programs or work activities via the use of computers, team work or any other task. Falk (2001) informed that learning in general is an active rather than a passive process. People learn by virtue of social interactions and by identifying a need for change. The fact is, in many social settings, people express themselves and go about their business in a way that reflects their degree of literacy. Exposed to these social interactions individuals are generally predisposed to want to change to adjust to their social environment (Falk, 2001). Thus, according to Falk (2001) the workplace is an ideal social setting for inspiring individuals to want to improve their literacy skills. Confronted by and interacting with others who are more literate may inspire the less literate employee to seek opportunities for improving his or her literacy. However, that only solves one half of the problem. The other half of the problem commands that the employer provide those opportunities for literacy enhancement by creating a workplace environment that fosters and cultivates learning. According to Falk (2001), learning is perceived as: A social process which incorporates knowledge and skills as well as identity resources (all of which are literate acts), and involves subsets of interactions with other people, their computers, rooms, buildings, and with “the texts of their thoughts” which are in themselves all products of situated socio-cultural interaction (p. 319). Therefore the workplace is an ideal setting for social learning and thus for the improvement of literacy in the workplace. Informed by Falk (2001), employers need to use this social setting for fostering interactions among workers that not only express literacy, but cultivate the transfer of knowledge and inspiration from one employee to the other. The offering of learning opportunities through work activities, literacy training and computer training are all assumed to be conducive to literacy enhancement and development in the workplace. However, since adult learners are more likely to take computer courses with embedded literacy learning skills, computer training and access to computers is the ideal method for creating a learning workplace environment for the enhancement of literacy in the workplace. Process In the identification of an issue relative to adult learning that needed an urgent solution the following steps were taken: A desktop search was conducted for identifying the rates of literacy and the lack thereof in the workplace. A desktop search was conducted for identifying the impact of low literacy in the workplace. A desktop search of the literature was also conducted to identify what employers were doing to respond to literacy rates in the workplace. The literature was reviewed for theories and assumptions relative to fostering literacy programs in the workplace. The literature was reviewed for theories and assumptions relative to creating a learning environment in the workplace conducive to enhancing and developing literacy skills. In order to explore the possibility that computers can be instrumental in creating and enhancing literacy, the literature was reviewed for assumptions and theories about how computer training and computer use can improve and develop literacy in adult learners. A desktop search was conducted to determine how adult learners feel about literacy training and computer training. A review of the literature was conducted for general information about improving the workplace learning environment by inspiring employees to engage in learning activities. The feasibility of learning through work was also researched. Analysis Informed by the theoretical perspectives and assumptions in the literature, this project would suggest the allocation of resources to create a learning environment in the workplace. Specifically funds should be invested for the improvement and expansion of computers in the workplace. Informed by Wolf and Evans (2011) computer courses have an embedded literacy content and learners who are reluctant to expose their literacy deficiencies in public settings are more amenable to computer courses where they unwittingly acquire literacy and numeracy skills. This approach to the creation of a learning environment for the enhancement and development of literacy skills in the workplace is also informed by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (2006). The report by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (2006) informed that the use of computers and other forms of digital technologies improves and builds literacy skills. It therefore follows that the learning environment in the workplace is improved when workers have access to and use computers. Thus employees should have every opportunity to work on computers or to use computers. This can be accomplished by merely requiring that employees clock-in and out by using computers. Employees should also be required to use computers to check for schedules, addresses, work tasks and to use computers to indicate when a work task has been completed. Informed by Falk (2001), this project will suggest that social interactions in the workplace should ensure that teams are constructed to combine workers with literacy deficiencies with the more literate workers. By taking this approach the more literate workers will work closely with and in coordination with employees with literacy deficiencies. This is expected to have two main outcomes: the employee with literacy problems will improve literacy by virtue of consistent contact with an employee with good literacy skills; and/or the employee with poor literacy skills will be encouraged to improve their literacy skills as a result of working with someone with better literacy skills. Socializing theory as espoused by Falk (2001) suggests that when employees of the same competence are grouped together there is no incentive to improve. Informed by Billet (2001), the workplace should make opportunities for learning available to the employee. This should be accomplished by creating and assigning tasks that automatically improve literacy. A number of tasks that improve literacy typically involve the use of computers and following written directions. In this regard, instructions and communications should be conducted by virtue of writing as much as possible. In general it is suggested that employers establish a learning environment in the workplace that targets the acquisition or enhancement of literacy skills. There are a number of ways that this can be accomplished. However, the literature generally agrees that the learning environment in the workplace should be enhanced by literacy training either in the workplace or in combination with a college or vocational school that offers skills for life training (Wolf & Evans, 2011). It is also generally agreed that computers are a key instrument for improving and developing literacy in the workplace. Therefore any literacy programme in the workplace should be supplemented by computer training programmes and the widespread use of computers in the workplace. Conclusion Improving and developing literacy in the workplace is essential for individual development, the broadening of career opportunities and advancement in the workplace, the effective and efficient functioning of the business, engendering competitiveness among business both domestically and globally and for sustaining and/or improving the economy as a whole. It is therefore important that urgent solutions be found for improving the literacy levels in the workplace. This project examines the use of computers and computer training and generally how to improve the learning environment in the workplace to improve and develop literacy in the workplace. However, additional research can be useful for determining whether firms that invest in computer use and computer training perform better than firms that do not or do not invest as much. This further research will provide empirical evidence of the utility of using computers and providing computer training in the workplace as a tool for literacy improvement and development. Bibliography Australian Industry Group. (May 2010). “National Workforce Literacy Project: Report on Employers Views on Workplace Literacy and Numeracy Skills.” AI Australian Industry Group, 1-23. Baldi, R. A. (Jul-Aug 1997). “Training Older Adults to Use the Computer: Issues Related to the Workplace, Attitudes, and Training.” Educational Gerontology, Vol. 23(5): 453-465. Billett, S. (2001). “Learning Through Work: Workplace Affordances and Individual Engagement.” Journal of Workplace Learning, Vol. 13(5): 209-214. Bruce, C. S. (1999). “Workplace Experiences of Information Literacy”. International Journal of Information Management, Vol. 19: 33-47. Campbell, A. (December 2005). “Profiting From Literacy: Creating a Sustainable Workplace Literacy Program”. The Conference Board of Canada, Report: 1-30. Cummins, J.; Brown, K. and Sayers, D. (2007). Literacy, Technology, and Diversity: Teachig for Success in Changing Times. Boston, MA: Pearson. Falk, I. (October 2001). “Literacy by Design, Not by Default: Social Capital’s Role in Literacy Learning.” Journal of Research in Reading. Vol. 24(3): 313-323. Smith, M.C.; Mikulecky, L.; Kibby, M. W.; Dreher, M.J. and Dole, J. A. (Aug. – Sept. 2000). Reading Research Quarterly, Vol. 35(3): 378-383. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. (2006). “Using ICT to Develop Literacy: UNESCO ICT Education Programme.” Bangkok, Thailand: UNESCO, 1-60. Wolf, A. and Evans, K. (2011). Improving Literacy at Work. Oxon, UK: Routledge. Read More