What are the nine essential skills for Canadian business? Human Resources and Social Development Canada define them as "skills that people need for work, learning, and life. They are used in the community and the workplace, in different forms and at different levels of complexity". The nine skills are:
1) Reading: Understanding materials written in sentences or paragraphs
2) Document Use: Finding, understanding, or entering information
3) Numeracy: Using numbers and thinking in quantitative terms to complete tasks
Conestoga College pjadischke@conestogac.on.ca administers Towes Testing (Testing of Workplace Essential Skills http://www.towes.com/testtakersguide.aspx) as outlined by the Government of Canada to determine levels 1-5 in these top three areas of performance: The Guelph Chamber of Commerce Workplace Development Committee has set the goal for our workplace to be at level 3 in all three primary areas. In general, 42% of Canadians are functioning at less than level 3 in these areas, and the workplace requires level 3 to be competitive globally. In the weeks ahead we will be developing a strategy for Guelph business to work with our educational institutions to help business to achieve this goal.
The other six essential skills are: Writing, Oral Communications, Working with Others, Thinking, Computer Use, Continuous Learning. For more information on Essential Skills and related resources, including job profiles, assessments, learning, and training supports visit: www.hrsdc.gc.ca/essentialskills.
Last week's MacLean's ranked Guelph as Canada's 4th smartest city, against a field of more than 4,700 cities across Canada. Calgary, Victoria, and Saskatoon are ahead of us. Guelph can do better.
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