FROM VISION TO IMPACT annual report 2011/2012
Feb 20, 2016
FROM VISION TO IMPACT
annual report 2011/2012
Message from theBoard Chair
“From Vision to Impact”, the title of this year's
annual report, quite literally describes CLLN's path
over the last year. The vision - the result of
comprehensive assessment of the organization, in
order to respond to an altered, much more
complex literacy landscape - has taken a few years
to make its way to impact. This year we are
demonstrating decisively, as a board and staff,
under the leadership of our new President and
CEO, Lindsay Kennedy, that we have evolved this
organization, and we have done so in order to
continue to be relevant and passionate proponents
of lifelong learning for all Canadians.
Changes we are implementing are aimed at the
ways in which we work and communicate with
each other, our communities, partners, funders,
policy-makers, opinion leaders and other
stakeholders. Most importantly, changes to the
organization aren’t changes in direction. On the
contrary, our values and mission are still grounded
in the knowledge that literacy is a social justice
issue, that literacy is a human right, that being
literate means that you have a voice and can be
heard. Articulating and evidencing that literacy is
also an economic issue, is a new addition to this
catalogue that allows us to communicate the
pressing issues of basic skills development to an
even broader set of stakeholders.
CLLN can be proud that it is now better positioned
in the literacy landscape than it has been in some
time. Stabilized as an organization – from
governance to a highly motivated and extremely
experienced staff team, and consistently expanding
our network, we have undoubtedly stepped back
up to take the lead as Canada's national Literacy
and Essential Skills experts and agents of change.
I am pleased to present this annual report –
a record of a truly remarkable year.
Janet Lane, CLLN Board Chair
Message from thePresident
After many years with CLLN, this year finds me in a
new role – that of President and CEO. Having been
part of the fundamental and definitional work of
developing a new strategic plan with CLLN's board
and its members in the past, I now have the privilege
to take this organization to the next level – that of
implementing the blueprint.
Setting out with three clear goals early in the year:
expansion of the network; bringing new voices to the
table; and re-shaping CLLN's board to maximize
skills of board members and align them with CLLN's
strategic vision, I am happy to report that we are well
on our to achieving them.
Rebranding CLLN, while at times challenging, has
made us more focused, more coherent, more
integrated, more connected and definitely more
aligned with our long-term direction and with our
ultimate goals. Far from starting from scratch, we
continue to do what we do best: developing
relationships and partnerships, communicating and
convening in order to be at the cutting edge. This is
our role as an effective national leader of the L/ES
community. We are building a durable, yet versatile
architecture that will allow us to achieve our strategic
directions – to interact, inform, influence and build
knowledge and expertise – as we strengthen learning
as a fundamental component of Canadian culture.
Our many highlights and achievements are recorded
on the following pages, but let me point out two key
projects that have been pivotal work in the past year
and that are evidence of CLLN making impact:
Early in 2012 we received funding from OLES to
conduct the first ever labour market study of the
literacy and essential skills workforce, and with that,
an acknowledgement from government and policy
makers that this workforce is important in times of
skills gaps and labour shortages. We will be filling a
distinct gap in information about who delivers L/ES
training to Canadians. The survey of 3000 trainers,
teachers and practitioners across the country, both
anglophone and francophone, will allow us and our
partners to be better at facilitating the network of the
L/ES practitioner community, expanding knowledge
and expertise in and of the field, as well as moving
towards the standardization and professionalization
of L/ES delivery in Canada.
CLLN's Literacy and Earnings project, in particular
the latest report in the series, “Investing in
Upskilling”, is making some waves around
government – federal, as well as provincial/territorial
– and business circles. Its remarkable findings,
namely that, if we shift dollars from income support
to quality adult education, governments and
communities would not only save money, but actually
increase revenue, are leading to further dialogue, and
bringing the cause of the adult learner to the
forefront. We have been able to successfully
communicate our issues in much wider circles,
moving the dire need for basic skills development to
the top of many agendas.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank
everyone who has supported CLLN through the last
few years, and continued to believe in our mandate
and principles and seen the value of this organization.
At CLLN we are committed to continuing the journey
we have set for ourselves – that of making Canada a
place of lifelong learning to benefit individuals,
communities and the nation.
Lindsay Kennedy, CLLN President and CEO
CLLNBoard & Staff
ExECuTIVEChair: Janet Lane
PTC* Committee (Literacy Alberta)
Vice-Chair: Kim Crockatt
PTC Committee (Ilitaqsiniq - Nunavut Literacy Council)
Treasurer: Ningwakwe George, Member at Large
Secretary: Fiona Murray, Member at Large
BOARd MEMBERSPatricia Ashie, CALL** Vice Chair (Essential Skills Ontario)
Wendy Bulloch, PTC Committee (Literacy Partners of Manitoba)
Ellen Szita, CALL Chair (Decoda Literacy Solutions)
Caroline Vaughan, PTC Committee (Literacy Newfoundland and Labrador)
Chris Whitaker, Member at Large
*Provincial and Territorial Coalitions Committee**Committee of Adult Literacy Learners
STAFFJudy Cavanagh - Interim President and CEO (until December 2011)
Chris Harwood - Manager of Field Development
Annette Hegel - Manager of Communications
Melanie Karalis - Research and Communication Assistant
Lindsay Kennedy - President and CEO
Tony Mark - Project Manager (Labour Market Study)
Alyson Reid - Office Manager
Pat Sample - Administrative Assistant
Genevieve Tilden - Research and Communication Assistant
Katy Kydd Wright - Manager of Partnerships and Research
Henschel Business Services Inc - Bookkeeping
CLLN gratefully acknowledges the financial support of the Government of Canada's Office
of Literacy and Essential Skills (OLES)/HRSDC for core and project funding. We also
express our appreciation for the funds received from project partnerships, membership
fees and donations.
Our NationalNetwork
Increasing literacies and essential skills acrossCanada, Canadian Literacy and Learning Networkis the national hub for research, information andknowledge exchange.
We are proud to be an integral part of a diverse anddynamic national network of provincial andterritorial literacy and essential skillsorganizations: our members.
Our members raise the awareness of theimportance of Literacy and Essential Skills withstakeholders and partners, sharing informationabout the state of literacy in their provinces andterritories.
They promote accessible literacy and essentialskills programs for all who need them andcollaborate with others in order to support learningand find solutions.
They make connections to maximize resources andminimize duplication, prepare environmental scansand develop action plans to address issues.
They provide leadership, not only in their provincesand territories, but also nationally, when they cometogether as the network.
They connect to service providers in order tofacilitate collaboration, research, and professionaldevelopment sessions for employers and adulteducators.
And last, but not least, our members supportlearners and practitioners in their efforts toimprove Literacy and Essential Skills.
Saskatchewan Literacy Network
Literacy and Learning for Life
LEARNERS Close to 10
million Canadian adults do not have the
literacy and essential skills to fully
participate in all aspects of civic life.
Canadian industry experiences skills gaps
and labour shortages. To add to that, the bar
for functional literacy is getting set higher all
the time. Ultimately, everything CLLN works
for, is to impact the adult learner, be it the
individual in a community literacy program
or Canada as a whole, embracing a culture of
self-directed, lifelong learning.
Canadian Adult Learners’ Week 2012CLLN, in collaboration with the RESDAC, rolled
out a full national campaign, complete with
posters, an interactive web-environment and a
community group tool-box.
Learner Focus Group: WorkplaceLiteracy and Essential Skills LearnersAs part of CLLN’s Learner Engagement Strategy,
CLLN facilitated a discussion among a group of
adults who had participated in workplace/workforce
education and training during the bi-annual
national network meetings. The focus group
participants were gathered from across Canada.
The outcome of the session was to inform policy
development at CLLN from the consumer or
client perspective.
LITERACy ANd EARNINGS PROjECT As champions for
literacy and essential skills, we know that
literacy is a key factor in determining an
individual’s labour market outcomes. Over
the past 18 months, CLLN has been engaged
in a series of research projects exploring the
economic impacts of literacy - on individuals
as well as the greater economy.The result is a
substantial body of work that provides new
insights based on current data.
ReportsThe reports illustrate the opportunities for
individuals, business and government that open
up when investing in upskilling Canada’s
workforce. Approaching the issue from a variety
of angles, these reports are proving a useful tool
to communicate to new audiences.
Panel discussionsIt is important to take the conversation of
investment in literacy and essential skills out
into the bigger world - this is part education,
part engagement. These events have given CLLN
the opportunity to collaborate with other
networks and create new partnerships.
Projects
LITERACyPROFESSIONALSTirelessly delivering programming across
Canada in thousands of communities, in
schools, colleges or community literacy
organizations, L/ES professionals often
work in isolation. There is little time left in
the day of a practitioner to network and
share best practices. CLLN is making space
to collect, store and disseminate meaningful
information about this workforce and their
experience.
Occupational Task ProfilesThrough comprehensive research and key
informant interviews CLLN established a pan-
Canadian snapshot of the wide-ranging
competencies of the literacy and essential skills
workforce. The report has been widely
disseminated, nationally and internationally, in
print and digitally. To date, Chris Harwood has
shared the findings of the report with workshop
participants in Ontario and Manitoba
Pan-Canadian Forum for L/ES WorkforceCLLN identified the need for a space in which to
debate issues that affect the field. We have been
experimenting with an online practitioner forum
using Moodle and so far about 60 people have
enrolled from coast to coast across Canada. The
varied backgrounds of L/ES educators and
others involved in the L/ES field have led to
some interesting questions and discussions
about position titles, mentorship and
professional development. The responses have
been thoughtful and thought-provoking.
Labour Market Study of Literacyand Essential Skills WorkforceThe first of its kind, CLLN’s workforce labour
market study (LMS) will survey practitioners of
L/ES on issues related to working conditions,
employment and income as well as on
professional background, work experience and
expertise. A much clearer picture of these
professionals allows CLLN and its partners to
effectively facilitate a network of the L/ES
practitioner community, develop the building of
knowledge and expertise in and of the field, as
well as move towards the standardization and
professionalization of L/ES delivery in Canada.
With project funding from OLES, CLLN has
contracted the Social Research and
Demonstration Corporation (SRDC), to conduct
the survey. In addition, an advisory committee
comprised of multi-sector representatives from
across Canada, is guiding CLLN and the LMS
throughout the process, providing critical
perspective and a wealth of experience in order
for the LMS to be as useful, representative and
complete as possible.
Other activities this past year were:
Complete visual re-branding of CLLN,
Participation in CCC Skills Gaps roundtables,
Presentations to Parliamentary Committees,
State of the Field of Literacy and Essential
Skills in Canada
PartnersOLES The Office of Literacy and
Essential Skills (OLES) is focused on
improving the literacy and essential skills of
adult Canadians. In partnership with OLES,
CLLN is part of the Centre of Excellence,
developing and disseminating knowledge and
tools to prepare Canada’s workforce for the
challenges of the new economies.
Public PolicyForum The Public Policy Forum
(PPF) is an independent, not-for-profit
organization dedicated to improving the
quality of government in Canada through
enhanced dialogue among the public, private
and voluntary sectors. With PPF, CLLN is
reaching deeper into the world of employers,
engaging them in the dialogue about upskilling
in the workplace.
SRdC The Social Research and
Demonstration Corporation (SRDC) is
recognized as a national leader in social
research and experimentation. For two
decades, SRDC has been building a knowledge
base and learning what works in social policy,
as well as what does not work.
With SRDC, CLLN has found a highly
experienced partner to execute the national
survey of the literacy and essential skills
workforce.
ABC ABC Life Literacy Canada
connects and mobilizes business, unions,
government, communities and individuals to
support lifelong learning and achieve goals
through leadership in programs,
communications and partnerships.
CLLN and ABC are collaborating on a major
project to market the need for L/ES workplace
training and its implementation as a business
solution to small- and medium sized
enterprises across Canada.
Centre forLiteracy The Centre for Literacy is
a centre of expertise that supports best
practices and informed policy development in
Literacy and Essential Skills by creating
bridges between research, policy and practice.
CLLN partners with the Centre in learning
events, such as institutes and workshops,
action research projects and publications.
RESdACLe Réseau pour le
développement de l’alphabétisme et des
compétences (RESDAC) works to promote
literacy as a right and also to improve the
Literacy and Essential Skills of adult
Francophone Canadians outside Quebec.
CLLN partners with the RESDAC on many
levels - from workshops and forums to the
national promotion of Canadian Adult
Learners’ Week. This partnership is especially
important as it links the French and English
literacy networks.
uNESCO A UN body, UNESCO
supports education around the world as a
building block to well-functioning democracies
and peaceful societies. It is a sound investment
that helps nations and communities to develop
economically and socially. UNESCO works to
promote education as a fundamental right. It
focuses on improving the quality of education,
promoting gender equality, and stimulating
experimentation, innovation and policy
dialogue. CLLN has an ongoing dialogue with
UNESCO, as well as partnering in the
promotion of Canadian Adult Learners’ Week.
CuPEWith 618,000 members across
Canada, CUPE is Canada’s largest union,
representing workers in health care,
education, municipalities, libraries,
universities, social services, public utilities,
transportation, emergency services and
airlines. CLLN and CUPE are working together
to identify ways to build support for workplace
learning and addressing learners’ needs.
Other collaborators are:
Council of Ministers of Education (CMEC)
Canadian Chamber of Commerce
The National Literacy Table
Association of Canadian Community Colleges
Financial Consumer Agency of Canada (FCAC)
LiteracyEXPRESSA quarterly newsletter that responds to issues
relevant to the Literacy and Essential Skills
Field with timely, in-depth analysis and
information. This year’s issues were focused
on Digital Literacy, Practitioners and L/ES in
the Workplace.
Competencies: a Pan-Canadian Snapshotaka Occupational Task Profiles: Canadian
Literacy and Essential Skills Workforce
names the core competencies that key
informants deemed to be essential. These can
be useful when developing job descriptions for
L/ES educators. The characteristics needed by
L/ES educators are seen as part of their core
competencies. As part of this snapshot CLLN
has collected current samples of job
descriptions from the key informants.
From Poverty to Prosperity:Literacy’s Impact onCanada’s Economic SuccessThe authors of this report analyzed the most
recent data to illustrate the impact of literacy
skills on both the micro- and macro-economic
levels. The report explores whether there is
evidence of a direct link between literacy skill
and income level. Data relating to the ability to
get a job, job retention and promotion, risk of
job loss, length of time unemployed and rates
of pay were examined. The report provides a
summary of how literacy skill and low income
are related, and what these relationships imply
for public policy.
Learning to Earning: LinkingLiteracy and Poverty usingIALS data on Earnings - a literature reviewThis literature review explores the relationship
between literacy and poverty using data from
the International Adult Literacy Survey
(IALS). The IALS data provides extensive
information about literacy and related factors
such as employment, earnings, education and
demographics that can be applied in the
discussions of literacy and poverty. The focus
on earnings, as opposed to other indicators of
well-being, was mainly dictated by the scarcity
of data explicitly linking literacy skill levels to
other social outcomes. A series of research
questions was created to guide the literature
review.
Publications
Investing in upskilling:Gains for Individuals,Employers and GovernmentExamining costs and savings associated with
moving every Canadian with a Literacy Level 1
or 2 (on the international literacy scale) to
Level 3, this analysis is based upon statistically
matched data from the 2003 International
Adult Literacy and Skills Survey and the 2005
– 2009 Surveys of Labour and Income
Dynamics. The methods provide a mechanism
to explore the relationships between benefit
receipt and literacy skill.
State of the Literacy andEssential Skills Field inCanada 2012For the first time those interested in the Field
and beyond have a comprehensive document
to refer to when looking to get a solid overview
of Literacy and Essential Skills in Canada.
Painstakingly researched, supported by
CLLN’s national network members’
environmental scans, as well reviewing all
current resources available, this report will be
the baseline for future editions to come.
Getting to WorkplaceEssentialsThe fully revised and updated version of
“Getting to Workplace Essential Skills” is a
slide presentation to increase literacy
awareness, knowledge about literacy and
essential skills and/or literacy programs for
employers, as well as training workplace
educators. This presentation is available
online with presenters’ notes.
The Big Picture - Literacy inCanadaThe fully revised and updated version of “The
Big Picture” provides an overview of Literacy
in Canada, Literacy Facts, Challenges and
Barriers, and information about CLLN. It is a
popular training tool for both literacy
professionals and volunteers. This
presentation is available online with
presenters’ notes.
All CLLN publications are available online and
are licenced under a Creative Commons
Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0
Unported License.
Looking AheaLITERACy ANdEARNINGSPROjECTRoundtablesCLLN – in partnership with Canada’s Public
Policy Forum – will conduct a series of
roundtables with policymakers, employers and
labour stakeholders to further investigate the
significant returns on investment – both,
monetary and social – into literacy and
essential skills.
LITERACyPROFESSIONALSSurvey and AnalysisThe large scale (3000 practitioners across
Canada, Anglophone and Francophone)
strategically designed survey will be
distributed, collected, analyzed and reported
on over the next year, with results expected in
the fall of 2013.
LEARNERSNational ForumIn 2013, CLLN will be partnering with CUPE
and an employer organization to identify what
research and knowledge is available about
learners in the workplace, including success
indicators from workplace learners’
perspectives, gaps in workplace learning, and
accommodating cultural, linguistic and racial
diversity in workplace learning. This
information will be sought through surveys
and key informant interviews. A national
forum will identify ways to build support for
workplace learning and addressing learners’
needs.
Online Learner SurveyThe aim of this survey is to gather information
about learning as an adult. The focus is on
informal adult learning, related to interests
and personal development, that adults
participate in voluntarily rather than as a
requirement of job or career. Experiences and
the results from the survey will be used to build
up CLLN’s knowledge about adult learning.
adNEW PROjECTSBuilding Solutions:Engaging Employers inLiteracy and Essential Skills(L/ES) development for theCanadian WorkforceThis 24 month project is a joint endeavour
between CLLN and ABC Life Literacy. The
project will focus on activities and interactions
that will increase awareness on the part of
Canadian small, medium and large enterprises
- in all regions of the country - of the need for
L/ES workplace training and its
implementation as a business solution. The
project team will work to bring together the
business sector and the adult literacy/essential
skills sector in order to address workplace
training gaps. The project will result in a
specific action plan for business, labour and
the L/ES sector and will identify national
champions who can engage other employers
moving forward.
digital SkillsTo scaffold the ongoing dialogue within our
network on how to advance digital skills of
learners of all levels, CLLN will compile an in-
house body of knowledge of digital
skills/digital technology and its impact on
L/ES. Through a review of published reports,
key informant interviews, and data gathered
from subject matter experts, CLLN will be able
to provide capacity building opportunities to
the national network members and others to
increase their understanding of the
importance of this trend.
The SROI of LiteracyStill at the dawn of social financing models,
CLLN is developing materials and activities
that will build the capacity of the L/ES field to
enable our network to gain access to these new
funding sources. Issues to be addressed first:
developing indicators and proxies, calculating
SROI, and pay for performance initiatives.
Other activities to come:
Poverty to Prosperity Roundtables
PIAAC task force
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Grants
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Funds
Total Revenues
Revenue Sources 2012
Expenses
Financials
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Assets
Liabilities & Net Assets
The financials have been compiledfrom CLLN’s audited statements.
Auditing services have beenprovided by Rheume WilliamsKalbfleisch, LLP.
A detailed auditor’s report isavailable at: www.literacy.ca/financials_2012