Basic Skills

Improved basic skills give employees greater capacity to perform their jobs well:

• Improved Reading, Writing and Numeracy Skills

• Improved Communication Skills

• Improved Problem Solving

• Improved Ability to Cope with Change in the Workplace

• Improved Ability to Use New Technology

The basic skills that employees gain by taking part in WEPs provide them with the ability and confidence to empower themselves. Empowerment takes many forms. Literate employees are better able to solve problems for themselves and do not find it necessary to rely on others to act as their intermediaries. They are better able to communicate with their colleagues and supervisors and have the self-confidence to address work-related issues as they arise.

These employees are also able to use their skills to cope better with new technologies and changes in workplace requirements and conditions. In addition, the full set of workplace basic skills increases the capacity of employees to take the next steps in developing themselves. These skill gains spell tangible economic benefits for employees, whose income is closely correlated to their literacy skills attainment.

Employee benefits translate into employer benefits because increases in the skills of individual employees create increased capacity for high performance on the part of the company.

Employees are very aware of the impact of WEPs on a broad range of literacy skills. Their improved reading, writing and mathematics skills filter into many benefits. Of these benefits, employees most often noted that they are better able to solve problems for themselves. In addition, nearly three-quarters of them cited that their ability to use new technology in the workplace had improved and 70 per cent said that they were better able to cope with workplace changes. Many employees also noted that participating in the WEPs made them better able to handle further job-specific training.

As organizations change and come under increasing competition, many employees recognize the need to acquire or improve their core literacy skills. Adequate reading, writing and numeracy skills are seen to be a minimum for keeping their existing jobs or competing for new jobs.

"A lot of people in my type of job don’t know how to read. But soon you will need a high school diploma to do my job. You have to know how to read things like chemical signs."

The improved ability to read and write, along with better English language skills, are at the base of many of the broader basic skills. They help employees be better communicators. They are better able to explain themselves and their listening skills and ability to understand others improve.

"Before I learned any English I was afraid to ask people questions. And I couldn’t understand the instructions so it looked like I couldn’t understand the job. But it was just that I didn’t understand the language."

One hotel employee in housekeeping stated that she is no longer afraid to use the phone or pick it up when it is ringing. Before her English language training, she was afraid she would not understand what the person on the phone needed and would not be able to explain herself. Confidence with the phone was a big first step in enabling her to be promoted to assistant manager of housekeeping. Other employees, even English-as-a-first-language speakers, also found that fear of speaking in public hampered their job effectiveness. Taking part in WEPs often gives such employees the confidence to speak up.

"The training worked well for people. I’ve noticed that it has helped people to ask questions and speak out more. I was really afraid of speaking in a group, and I ended up giving a big presentation at another company."

All of these skills provide employees with the confidence and skills to empower themselves. One of the most obvious benefits to employees is the increased ability to handle problems on their own. Instead of having to go to a supervisor or colleague for help, they now have the confidence and skills to solve the problem themselves. The impact on employees from English language skills is particularly strong—they no longer have to rely on others to translate for them when they have a problem or do not understand a work directive. In some cases, employees said that, before the training, they would not alert supervisors to machine problems because they were afraid they would not be understood. Even when English language skills were not an issue, WEPs gave employees the tools to tackle problems on their own.

"Now I can understand a problem, ask people questions and come up with a solution. Before I would never know who or what to ask and I wouldn’t feel confident going to them to ask anything. Now I am more confident that I can explain my problem and what I need, and that I can use the information I get from them."

This ability to work on their own has a significant impact on the ease with which employees feel they can do their job, helping to reduce workplace stress.

"I’m happier and more comfortable in my workplace. I’ve really been blessed by this program. Learning to read opened my eyes up. People used to have to tell me what to do and now I can read it myself."

One hospital employee gave a recent example where an administrator complained about the food service. Instead of reacting defensively or passing the problem off to someone else, as she would have in the past, she took her time, talked to all the staff involved, wrote down all the details and went up to discuss it with the appropriate person. She felt better knowing she had the skills to solve problems calmly and rationally.

The improved confidence that comes with participating in WEPs also helps employees foster a more positive attitude towards change in their workplaces. Employees state that they are more accepting of new ideas and generally have a more open attitude towards doing things differently—"I am now always looking for ways to do things better rather than just wanting to do things the same way they have always been done." Understanding why a change is needed and being able to ask questions about it goes a long way to helping them deal with change. Many employees explained that there had been a lot of changes in their workplaces and that the training gave them the skills to know that they could cope with those changes.

"The training has improved my ability to cope with change in the workplace. Now, when we get a new piece of equipment it is easier to figure it out. Once I learned how to read it I realized that it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be."

Employees’ fear of workplace changes brought about by new technology decreased after training. Many had no experience using computers or other technologies before the courses. Yet most were aware of the need to improve their computer skills and were able to do so—from operating sophisticated computer-controlled equipment, to using desktop computers to input data, track orders and inventory, and write memos and reports. With improved technology skills came an increased awareness of the need to keep up with technology—at a personal as well as corporate level.

"Before we were afraid of change in the workplace. Now we realize that we must be competitive and we are more geared to being trained. With technology on the rise, if we want to be in the limelight we have to constantly improve ourselves through training."

Employees realize that those individuals who are not able to adapt to new ways of doing things will be left behind, as companies are forced to continuously act and react to internal and external changes. Employees who may have lacked the confidence to make a change in their position at work find they are able to take on these challenges. The confidence and skills they gain enable them to take the next steps in developing themselves.

"I had been on the job for 10 or 12 years and wasn’t going anywhere. I wanted to make a change but I was afraid that maybe I wouldn’t be able to do it. The training helped me to see that I could."

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Last updated: February 18, 2001 .