Free Materials

For cost-effective information and assistance with employee training, look for free materials on the Internet or at your local library.  In addition to being low-cost, materials and information on the Internet are accessible at all times.

Access a free Internet-based Classroom Assistant with conferencing, personal messaging, document sharing, scheduling and link/resource sharing. A fully dynamic site, the ICA is customized at two different levels:
1.) the user and 2.) the class. Anyone can set up a class in minutes and allow others to join:
    URL: http://www.nicenet.org

eGroups is a free email group service that allows you to create and join email groups.  You can archive messages and schedule meetings or groups chats:
    URL: http://egroups.com

The Literacy Volunteers library is a resource with over 3,600 items to help tutors and students in the Rochester, NY area:
   URL: http://www.literacyrochester.org/resources.htm

The National Center for the Study of Adult Learning and Literacy (NCSALL) works in the field of adult basic education and provides teaching materials for classroom activities that teachers  can do with adult students to build literacy skills and knowledge in a particular content area.
    URL: http://gseweb.harvard.edu/~ncsall/teach.html

The Workforce Education LAB (Learning Activities Bank) is an free interactive resource of work-related basic skills lessons for use by instructors in the workplace or in traditional adult education programs and by adult learnings.  Instructors can use learning activities developed by others or submit their own to the LAB.
    URL: http://slincs.coe.utk.edu/gtelab/default.html

This article discusses how to set up a training function inside a small company that has never had one before. Included are steps to establish a network; align it with the business strategy; create early wins; invest in it; and assess the impact.
     URL: http://www.workforce.com/archive/article/23/37/96.php

Deciding how much to allocate per person for training is a difficult but important issue. This article suggests that a good approach is to assess areas where changing performance will yield the most value and then implement strategies to achieve that goal.
     URL: http://www.workforce.com/archive/article/23/22/44.php

A new report from WINs on hiring, retaining and advancing front-line workers serves as an HR guide for small and mid-sized employers. The report, based on real company experiences, is available for free from the Jobs for the Future web site, under Workforce Development.
     URL: http://www.jff.org/jff

The National Adult Literacy Database Inc. (NALD), a Canadian not-for-profit, provides an up-to-date and easily accessible database of adult literacy programs, resources, services and activities across Canada. It also links with other services and databases in North America and overseas.
     URL: http://www.nald.ca/

The Canadian Adult Literacy Research Directory is a comprehensive database containing Canadian research in adult literacy from 1994, as well as research in progress.
     URL: http://www.nald.ca/crd/

Abilities Builder computer programs use a unique method to improve retention of subject materials and improve basic academic skills in reading, spelling, writing and math. The materials are suitable for both children and adults, regardless of age and ability. Visit the site and try the free versions.
     URL:  www.tis-co.com

A new report from the League for Innovation, "Basic Education Online: Providing High-Quality Courses as Open Educational Resources" shows ways in which the internet can be used to facilitate universal basic education through open-content courses. (abstract)
URL: http://www.league.org/publication/abstracts/learning/lelabs200510.html

The Online Navigator of the United States Chamber of Commerce provides access to resources for hiring new employees or training and educating existing staff. It helps employers connect to available resources at low or no cost. 
     URL: http://www.uschamber.com/cwp/navigator/default.htm

The FreePatentsOnline search engine allows advanced search techniques such as word stemming, proximity searching relevancy ranking and search term weighing to help you find exactly what you are looking for. Other features permit organizing, annotation and sharing of documents.
     URL: http://www.freepatentsonline.com/

The Sloan Center on Innovative Training and Workforce Development has developed a Training Manual: "Online Learning Programs for Low Wage Workers within the One-Stop Delivery System".
     URL: http://itwd.rutgers.edu/research/TrainingManual.pdf

GCFLearnFree.org, formerly GCF Global Learning, offers a variety of free online computer, technology, and life skills training programs with support from GCF Community Foundation.
     URL: http://www.GCFLearnFree.org

Communicating at Work is a free web resource for immigrant adults. Interactive features, dialogues, scenarios and quizzes are designed to help adult learners improve their communication skills with supervisors, co-workers and customers.
     URL: http://aaca-boston.org/caw/

For problems or questions regarding this web site contact campbell@conferenceboard.ca.
Last updated: November 28, 2008.