Oakville Literacy Council tackles workplace literacy skills

BY KAREN MAJERLY The Business Executive

OAKVILLE — Imagine you left for work this morning lacking the skills to fill out a job application or insurance claim form, unable to understand a hazardous material warning or even read a road sign.

The Canadian government’s Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (2005) reports that 42 percent of Canadians, aged 16 to 65, are at literacy Levels 1 and 2, below the minimum of what is suitable for coping with everyday demands. Level 1 means a person cannot read, for example, a medicine bottle, or safety instructions. Level 2 means the person can only handle simple material, and has difficulty facing new tasks at work or in the community.

“Employers need to hear the statistics and recognize the impact of low literacy in their workplaces,” said Bernie Martenson, President of the Oakville Literacy Council, a non-profit organization that runs a free program for adults who want to improve their reading and writing. “We’re talking about truly essential skills here — skills that not only benefit the individual, but the employer as well.”

Oakville not immune to low literacy

Many would assume that low literacy isn’t much of a problem in a community like Oakville, but the numbers tell a different story. In 2004, Community Development Halton reported that 30 percent of Oakville’s residents between the ages of 15 and 24 are not attending school. The 2006 Census shows that one in three Oakville residents is an immigrant to Canada.

According to “Worker Literacy, A Silent Epidemic,” published in the journal Occupational Health Tracker in 2001, employees with literacy and language problems perform their jobs less adequately; cannot read warnings, safety manuals, or instructions for operating machinery; are more likely to cause damage to equipment; and are more likely to be injured on the job.

“Most employers are not aware of the extent of the literacy problem because it’s somewhat hidden,” Martenson said. “People often go to great lengths to conceal their difficulties.”

But supervisors can often identify someone with low literacy skills if they look for the signs. Is there someone who takes forms home to fill out? Does he or she make excuses for not reading, such as forgetting glasses? Does that person turn down opportunities that require writing?

Martenson said employers don’t have to tackle this alone, and that literacy councils are committed to joining forces with employers.

“We’ll work together with you, within your workplace culture, to determine the best way to provide our service in an inviting, non-threatening way,” Martenson said. “Maybe you just want to refer people to our program, or maybe you’d like a tutor to visit your workplace each week.”

Some employers have found that the “learn where you earn” approach produces great results. In 2006, Robinson Paperboard Packaging of Mississauga received a Conference Board of Canada award for advances in workplace safety. Before they started their reading comprehension improvement program, employees lost more than 200 days a year to workplace accidents. Halfway through the first year in which they ran the learning program, they had experienced only one lost-time accident.

“Literacy breeds confidence, and confidence breeds wonderful things like creativity, motivation, and improved performance,” Martenson said. “These are real gains for employees and employers.”

The Oakville Literacy Council website may be found at www.oakvilleliteracy.ca or call 905.469.8528. For Ontario-wide Laubach Literacy Ontario go to http://www.laubach-on.ca/councils.htm. TBE

REACHING OUT: Bernie Martenson, President of the Oakville Literacy Council, and John Sawyer, Executive Director of the Oakville Chamber of Commerce discuss ways to reach out to local employers about literacy issues. Photo by Karen Majerly.

SUPER COMPUTER: Marti Jurmain, Director Research & Innovation; John Mangold, VP MDG Computers Canada; Steve Niles, Student; and Dr. Mike Duncan unveil an MDG Super Computer that has taken the place of close to 100 existing systems at Niagara College to run a sophisticated piece of agricultural software.

Niagara College receives new technology for agriculture research

WELLAND — Representatives of Niagara College, MDG Computers Canada and nVidia unveiled a significant equipment donation June 5 that will supply Niagara College with much needed high performance computing equipment for its PrAgMatic agricultural research project.

The equipment, which includes a high-end server, equipped with an nVidia Telsa high-performance GPU computing processor, delivers huge results and energy conservation for Niagara College. The server will be used to process huge volumes of information as part of the College’s PrAgMatic project. The single unit being donated is powerful enough to replace Niagara College’s original plan for a server cluster of over 100 units. The result of replacing hundreds of systems with only one brings major cost and energy savings.

The MDG system was designed with high performance computing as the top priority, which the nVidia Tesla makes possible with its multi-threaded processor architecture.

“MDG is very proud to be part of this project and on a larger scale is putting a major focus on partnering with the educational sectors across Canada,” says John Mangold, Vice President Sales at MDG Computers. “We all know that it is of utmost importance to our economy to have our children exposed to high technology at every level of schooling.”

The PrAgMatic System is being developed to help farmers take advantage of a wide variety of technologies to collect data about how crops grow. Technologies range from remote sensing devices, such as satellite and aircraft-based imagery, to hand-held sensors. The information provides farmers with concise data regarding what crops may need, or what might be threatening them.

“Niagara Research is delighted to receive the donation of the new high performance from MDG,” says Director, Research and Innovation, Marti Jurmain. “Under the guidance of our lead researchers, our students will learn how to program for the enormous power and speed of the computer, and our industry partners, initially those in the agricultural sector, will benefit from having farm or vineyard data turned into useful information.”

Focused on community, business, and industry needs, goals, and problems, Niagara Research — Niagara College’s applied research department — links industry, faculty, and students in applied research initiatives, development, and knowledge. Since 2005, Niagara Research has worked in prototype development, lead simulations and industrial trials, developed new and improved products, processes, and business practices, implemented new practices in business and the community, all in a wide variety of fields.

Lazaridis donates additional $50 Million to Perimeter Institute

Mike Lazaridis – RIM

WATERLOO — In a new and generous act of personal philanthropy, Mike Lazaridis has provided an additional $50 million (Canadian) to Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics (PI). This private donation increases his personal contributions to $150 million in the research institute.

Just prior to a PI Public Lecture, over 600 people celebrated the private funding announcement, delivered by The Honourable John Wilkinson, Ontario Minister of Research and Innovation. All dignitaries representing the Province of Ontario and the Government of Canada, important members of a public-private partnership that fund the scientific research and outreach operations, acknowledged the donation.

On behalf of the Government of Ontario, The Honourable John Wilkinson, Minister of Research and Innovation said: “Ontario’s $3B Innovation Agenda focuses on our government acting as a catalyst to support our top researchers and entrepreneurs — extraordinary people like Mike Lazaridis who are leading the way to turn groundbreaking ideas and innovation into Ontario’s next generation of jobs. Ontario’s commitment to fundamental and applied research has not only been informed but also inspired by Mike’s personal commitment to innovation, and his contributions to the Perimeter Institute. That’s why our government has already invested over $65M to support this important initiative. This new investment will strengthen the Institute and the government-industry partnerships that have made it possible, and help us to continue to attract the world-class talent and the scientific knowledge Ontario needs to compete in the
21st century.”

On behalf of the Government of Canada, The Honourable Jim Prentice, Minister of Industry, provided these words, “Mr. Lazaridis is one of Canada’s most significant science and technology (S&T) leaders and is making an extraordinary contribution to further strengthen our country’s S&T capacity. His personal commitment to the Perimeter Institute has enabled Canada to attract the best researchers in the field of theoretical physics. The recent nomination of Mr. Neil Turok as the new Executive Director of the Institute is one of many examples of this success. The Government of Canada is an important partner in the development of the Perimeter Institute, having renewed public funding in March 2007 to further propel the scientific research and outreach activities at international levels. In keeping with the government’s S&T strategy, the Perimeter Institute continues to provide the country with a competitive advantage in the area of basic research, pushes the frontiers of knowledge, attracts highly qualified researchers, promotes the nation’s world class excellence abroad, and shares the joys of scientific research, discovery and technologies with Canadians from coast to coast.”

Mike Lazaridis, the founder and Chairman of the Board of Perimeter Institute, thanked all national, provincial, regional and municipal partners for their commitment to scientific research and their direct role in shaping the institute. He also acknowledged those in wider society who engage in the outreach activities. Among many comments and conversations that evening, he said, “Perimeter Institute exists because of a shared commitment by all of the partners. Partners who know that today’s scientific research will seed tomorrow’s biggest innovations. The power of human understanding and new ideas has a long and proven history in transforming society — such as Maxwell’s unification of electricity and magnetism, and Einstein’s insights about the nature of space, time, and light. Today’s scientists are pushing our fundamental understanding even further. They are working on the most challenging problems we have ever known and they are calculating new solutions that, over time, will improve our society — intellectually, materially, and by stimulating future generations of researchers to dig even deeper. These are exciting times in science and we have the good fortune to propel new ideas right here in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. It is an important mission I feel passionate about and wish to support. Finally, all of us at Perimeter wish to thank you — the students, teachers and members of the general public. Your enthusiasm for science provides constant motivation to our researchers, outreach staff, and the partnership. Collectively, we all share in the grand quest to research, discover, and innovate.”

Sheridan to launch Bachelor of Applied Business Global Business Management course

OAKVILLE — Business is increasingly conducted within a global framework. Canadian business operates within this global marketplace where the management of that business, the marketing and the logistics of moving goods and services internationally, is critical to its success.

Sheridan’s Bachelor of Applied Business Global Business Management course, a four year applied bachelor’s degree, puts the traditional BBA and B-Commerce degree programs into an increased global setting strengthening its value to both students and employers. The program brings a focus to key areas identified as important by employers and recent government studies. These areas are:

• Global marketing

• Global supply chain management, i.e. purchasing, transportation, distribution and logistics

• International finance

• Strategic Management

• Cross-cultural skills

Sheridan graduates will have a competitive edge with prospective employers. This is achieved through the program’s applied focus in addition to the theoretical coursework.

Student learning will focus on real world case studies, industry projects, business simulations and two paid co-op work semesters.

Additionally the program leverages relationships with professional industry accreditation organizations such as the Forum for International Trade Training (FITT) and Supply Chain & Logistics Canada (SCL Canada). Both of these organizations have accredited this program. Students will be offered the opportunity to work toward a number of professional accreditations depending on their career aspirations.

Sheridan’s faculty has advanced degrees in all key areas of international business disciplines and extensive international business experience.

Graduates will be able to apply for entry into post graduate, master degree programs at a number of Canadian Universities including Ontario as well as selected foreign Universities.

In the last semester of the program, students gain further real world experience by collaborating with a local, internationally operating company on an international business project that will integrate the core business learning, the student’s previous two work term experiences, as well as the three strategically focused curriculum streams; international financial management, international marketing management, and global supply chain management.

Learning through case studies: Sheridan will use the case study method as a key learning method. Case studies allow the student to apply business concepts by taking on the role of the decision maker through the analysis of a real world business situation.

Coop positions: The Program includes two, four month paid coop work placements at the end of both semester 6 and semester 7. These positions will allow the students the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills acquired over the duration of the program. These practical experiences coupled with that of the industry project will contribute significantly to the competitive advantage of the Sheridan graduates with prospective employers.

Small classes: Sheridan’s program will be conducted in a small class environment allowing for greater interaction between all course participants; faculty to students, students to students.

Sheridan’s Mobile Program: You are taught in a mobile computing environment using a laptop computer in Internet-connected classrooms. Through this students develop the critical technological literacy and collaborative working skills required for 21st century careers.

Sheridan’s Bachelor of Applied Business Global Business Management course will launch in the fall of 2009.