Message from
CLLN’s Chair of the
Board of Directors,
Chris Whitaker and
President and CEO,
Lindsay Kennedy
As we began this fiscal year, we took
to heart the three words we have
chosen to define ourselves:
Engagement, Collaboration and
Transformation. Over the past year
our work has helped us understand
and appreciate what it truly means to
work together as a board and staff
team focused on our goal: placing
CLLN at the leading edge of adult
literacy and learning in Canada.
All of our activities have been carried
out within the context of the
overarching organizational priorities
identified in our Strategic Plan:
> The expansion of our network
beyond the provincial and territorial
literacy coalitions,
> Bringing other voices to the table
to strengthen our current
stakeholder base, and
> Re-shaping the CLLN board
structure to match skills and
knowledge to strategic vision.
During 2012/13 the board and staff
have worked together closely to
implement these three priorities. The
strategic priorities both guide the
development of our work plan and
are realized through the key activities
identified and carried out by staff. As
a result we have experienced
positive outcomes from our
organizational renewal efforts and
from the new partnerships we have
established. We have also achieved
key milestones in our research work,
making significant contributions to
the field. Now we are excited about
the beginnings of promising new
endeavours.
The transformation of the Board of
Directors to a skills-based board was
completed this year. We have crafted
a board with an enviable depth of
skills, knowledge and expertise, and
an inspiring level of insight, energy
and commitment.
Our core staff complement has
grown, with the new additions
rounding out our robust and well-
balanced team of six highly skilled
and dedicated individuals who
command the respect of their peers.
As both the board and staff have
evolved, all of us have worked hard
and contributed to our efforts to
position CLLN as a respected and
effective national leader in the
Canadian literacy and essential skills
(L/ES) landscape.
In particular, the staff team needs to
be acknowledged for their excellent
performance in clearly articulating
CLLN’s role and position in this
landscape, based on our overall
strategic goals, and their
responsiveness to emerging issues
and needs. In our transformation, we
have consistently communicated a
clear message to all of our
stakeholders, partners and funders
that we are a viable and flexible
national L/ES hub.
CLLN Areas of Activity 2012/13
> conducting new national-level
research [innovate]
> convening meetings with a broadened
stakeholder base [engage]
> strengthening relationships with L/ES
organizations and building new
partnerships outside the L/ES field
[collaborate]
> communicating with L/ES
stakeholders, employment skills
stakeholders and Canadians [connect]
[innovate – engage – collaborate –
connect =} transform]
[innovate + engage +
collaborate + connect =
transform]
Our key activities during 2012/13
have contributed to knowledge about
and awareness of literacy and
essential skills in Canada, and have
strengthened our national L/ES
network and ties to international and
adult literacy initiatives.
This past year we have
demonstrated our ability to scan the
national horizon, analyze labour
market and other data, create
thematic reports and share
information that is relevant to diverse
audiences—within our own field as
well as within government and
business. Our process is built on a
high level of engagement and
collaboration with multiple
stakeholders. The first national
“State of the Literacy and Essential
Skills Field” report, developed using
this process, has been well-received.
We have been successful in
applications for two important
national projects, one of which is in
partnership with another national
L/ES organization. Both of these
projects clearly demonstrate our
ability to produce results that
contribute to the research agenda of
the L/ES field.
Building our relationships with key
national organizations in and outside
of the L/ES field has been a priority
activity. CLLN has been able to
develop positive and productive
relationships with several national
organizations and has completed a
number of projects in partnership
with non-L/ES national organizations.
Bridging research and engagement,
CLLN had the opportunity to
showcase the results of our 2012
“Investing in Upskilling” report
through a series of meetings and
roundtables hosted during the fall
and winter of 2012/13. These events
solidified our respected place in the
national literacy and essential skills
community, and expanded and
reinforced our network.
All this—and more—has established
CLLN as a strong player and
competent, multi-faceted and
responsive collaborator in the
national L/ES landscape.
We look forward to our work in
2013/14 as we further solidify CLLN
as an effective leader of the L/ES
community on a national level. We
will continue to do what we do best:
innovative research; partner and
stakeholder engagement and
support; and collaborating,
convening and communicating to
keep CLLN at the forefront of
advancing L/ES in Canada.
Our goal is to build a durable, yet
versatile architecture that will allow
us to achieve our strategic
directions—to interact, inform,
influence and invest (build
capacity)—as we strengthen learning
as a fundamental component of
Canadian culture.
Chris Whitaker
CLLN Board Chair
Lindsay Kennedy
President and CEO, CLLN
This year CLLN developed a life-time
achievement award to recognize
individuals who have played key
roles in the field of adult literacy
education. We are honoured to
announce that Ellen Szita, long-time
CLLN board member and member of
the organization’s learners group,
will be the first recipient of this
award. She will be presented with
the award in British Columbia this
November.
>
OLES 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.
SRDC executed 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
the ‘Advancing Workplace Learning’
project.
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.
RESDAC Le 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-
>> Partners
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.
CUPE With 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.
CAF The Canadian
Apprenticeship Forum – Forum
canadien sur l’apprentissage (CAF-
FCA) is a non-profit organization that
connects Canada’s apprenticeship
community. Participants work
collaboratively to support vibrant and
innovative apprenticeship systems
and policies with a view to
developing a highly-skilled, inclusive
and mobile skilled trades workforce.
CLLN and CAF started their
collaboration this year with a survey
of digital skills of apprentices desired
by their employers.
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)
> Building strong
partnerships inspires
further collaboration and
stimulates innovation.
[innovate + engage +
collaborate + connect
= transform]
Investing inUpskillingRoundtablesIn partnership with Canada’s Public
Policy Forum (PPF) and Canadian
Manufacturers and Exporters (CME),
CLLN convened 2 roundtables in
Ottawa and Toronto to explore the
potential for a multi-sector approach to
improving literacy and essential skill
(L/ES) levels in Canada. Subsequently,
based on requests
from provincial/territorial LES coalitions,
roundtable discussions were held in
Moncton (New Brunswick), Vancouver
(British Columbia), and Winnipeg
(Manitoba). Representatives from
across all sectors were invited to share
findings from the report, and to engage
stakeholders in building partnerships
for improving adult L/ES levels.
AdvancingWorkplaceLearningThe “Advancing Workplace Learning”
(AWL) project aims to inform
employers about effective training and
workplace practices that can enhance
the essential skills of employees and
create a culture of learning. The
project will foster a greater
understanding of what brings
employers to the table to engage in
and maintain workplace education
programs, as well as the features and
infrastructures that support workplace
education in a variety of settings and
company sizes. In turn, CLLN will be
able to make recommendations for
national and provincial/territorial
improvements for WL/ES
implementation, and to establish new
and enhanced partnerships between
employers and learning partners. This
project is a collaboration of CLLN with
ABC Life Literacy Canada
[innovate + engage +
collaborate + connect =
transform]
Labour Market Study of the Literacyand Essential Skills WorkforceThe study builds on the Occupational Competencies snapshot, the State of
the Field Report, and two feasibility studies (CCL and Statistics Canada)
from 2010/2011. A major component of the study was a large-scale,
confidential survey of the L/ES workforce. The survey, which was completed
by 700 workers representing every province and territory, allowed CLLN to
gain a comprehensive picture of who works in the Literacy and Essential
Skills field. It drew attention to the human resource issues that may affect
Canada’s capacity to achieve better Literacy and Essential Skills results for
Canadians. In addition to building knowledge about the current state of the
L/ES workforce, the results will be used to inform policy makers at national
and provincial/territorial levels.
Research asked practitioners about what they value in respect to skills,
knowledge, and credentials directed related to their work in Literacy and
Essential Skills. It probed working conditions across the L/ES field and
questioned the value of, and whether there is a need for, occupational
standards and/or credentials. This knowledge will inform the National
Occupational Standards project.
IntegratedPlanning andReporting ToolCLLN is creating a resource that
contains descriptions
of projects funded
over the last seven
years, with an
emphasis on
information such as target
audiences, key features, and outputs
with links. The emphasis will be on
results. The objective is to create a
continuously updated tool that can
be used by L/ES stakeholders
working in a variety of capacities. An
effective method of sharing this
information will enhance the current
state of knowledge and support the
needs of researchers, administrators
and practitioners in L/ES
organizations, and community
organizations working with L/ES
topics.
LearningSuccess: TheVoice ofWorkersCLLN and the Canadian Union of
Public Employees (CUPE) embarked
on the Learning Success project
together to provide a voice to
Literacy and Essential Skills (L/ES)
learners within the workplace. CUPE
is a strong supporter of literacy
training and, in collaboration with the
Canadian Association of Municipal
Administrators (CAMA), has been a
pioneer in workplace education
programs since the late 1990s.
In the first phase of the project, work
was done to consolidate information
on workplace L/ES materials/tools
and existing reports that relate to
needs as described by workplace
learners. A report soon to be
released online through CLLN’s
website includes learners’ voices
expressed through existing reports
and through CUPE’s Members
Literacy Council. Feedback from
CUPE Education Representatives
and Literacy Working Group
Members in also incorporated, along
with feedback from L/ES experts.
The report includes a Literature
Review, covering CAMA and CUPE
tools and resources, and general
L/ES resources. A number of
activities are suggested to promote
learning culture in the
workplace.CLLN would like to thank
Isabelle Boucher and Patricial Nutter
from CUPE for their support and
collaboration.
>> Projects
> Responding to the needs
identified by the L/ES
field by creating
innovative new ideas,
resources and tools.
>Effective partnerships generate new
ideas and can lead to the creation of
innovative projects with the potential to
transform lives.
>CLLN outreach to targeted
audiences is building
awareness of L/ES among
Canadians and expanding our
stakeholder base.
[innovate + engage + collabo
>Bringing different perspectives and
complementary skillsets to the table fosters
the development of innovative new projects
with the power to transform.
>Going forward, CLLN will work to
optimize our network to effectively
support the enhancement of adult
learning in Canada.
orate + connect = transform]
WebinarWednesdaysCLLN’s winter webinar series where
we profile CLLN projects and project
findings, as well as respond to the
Field’s needs to timely information
and capacity building. Last season’s
line-up was:
Measuring Impact: Telling Your Story toSocial Investors
Investing in Upskilling: Gains forIndividuals, Employers and Government
State of the Literacy and Essential SkillsField in Canada
Applying Performance Based Funding toLiteracy and Essential Skills
DigitalTechnologySnapshot The Digital Snapshot of the Literacy
and Essential Skills Field takes a look
at how literacy coalitions and
frontline delivery agencies are using
digital tools. Conducted from
January to March 2013, the research
phase of the project included
interviews and online questionnaire
responses. The information provided
by the 29 participants represents a
cross-sectoral picture of :
> how digital technology is used,
> what challenges are being faced,
> how emerging issues are being
managed, and
> what the field would like to see in
the future.
LiteracyEXPRESSCLLN’s 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 the
State of the Field, Practitioners and
Adult Learning.
> Connecting the L/ES
field across Canada – in
schools, the workplace
and in the community.
Flagship websitesCLLN is now managing and hosting three
key websites to support Literacy and
Essential Skills in Canada: literacy.ca, a
landing portal for all things L/ES related,
advancingworkplacelearning.ca - a resource
for employers, employees and workplace
trainers and l/esworkforce.ca, the new
portal for L/ES practitioners.
>> knowledge mobilization
Lindsay Kennedyblog in theHuffington PostAn opprtunity to add to a broader
public debate from the point of view
of the CEO, this new channel has
proven extremly popular.
on PIAAC: Big Data Release on Adult
Literacy and Skills Just Around the Corner
on Learn at Work Week: Does Your
Workplace Have a "Learning Culture"?
on ILD 2013: How Literacy Has Evolved in
Canada
on National Aboriginal Day: Celebrating
Aboriginal Literacy and Learning
on ALW 2013: Adult Learners' Week 2013:
Never Stop Learning
pre-budget release: Supporting Literacy
Would Be the Best Investment Jim
Flaherty Could Make
PIAAC updatesA email newsletter delivering news
and analyses of PIAAC in Canada as
the become available. The large
distribution list extends accross all
sectors, reaches into the farthest
cornaers of Canada, and connects to
the international L/ES community.
CLLN instantresponse briefsCLLN commissions experts in the
Field to provide stakeholders with a
solid interpretation of interpretation
of breaking news, major reports and
policy directions
So far we have published:
Brigid Hayes: a briefing note on what
the budget 2013 states about the
Labour Market Agreements (March 21,
2013)
Brigid Hayes makes sense of PIAAC
reports (October 9, 2013)
[innovate + engage +
collaborate + connect
= transform]
IncreasingFinancialLiteracy Skillsand KnowledgeOne of our primary goals is to
transform and enhance the ways in
which literacy is integrated into all
aspects of an individual’s life - at
home, at work and in the community
- and to ensure that literacy, as an
issue, is better understood by
multiple stakeholders. Over the years
our initiatives have included work on
the linkages between literacy and
poverty, literacy and rural service
delivery, literacy and social justice,
literacy and the rights of individuals
to access service delivery.
The aboriginal population is the
fastest growing segment of Canadian
society. This project will provide
aboriginal youth, young adults and
older adults, and organizations that
work primarily with aboriginal clients
with culturally sensitive tools and
resources that will strengthen an
individual’s ability to make sound
financial decisions.
NationalOccupationalStandardsNational Occupation Standards
(NOS) are used to recognize the work
of individuals in a particular field and
are common in many professions
and yet we do not have them in the
L/ES field. CLLN hosted a facilitated
panel discussion at its national June
meeting and produced a detailed
handout for participants. There was
considerable support for moving
forward. CLLN will produce 3 videos
(The role of NOS, NOS for L/ES and
the Process for Developing NOS) and
invite stakeholders to participate in
the development process. As a
neutral organization, CLLN can bring
together stakeholders to ensure a
common understanding of NOS and
to promote collaboration using a
formal but inclusive process that
ensures maximum uptake in their
development and use. Endorsement
and validation by stakeholders is a
part of the process. NOS will improve
collaboration and provide increased
knowledge of the roles and
responsibilities of L/ES staff. It will
help employers to choose training
providers and help to inform training
needs for L/ES staff.
Literacy andEssential Skills –A CurriculumModel forFriendshipCentresResearch indicates that although
several models for training in L/ES
have been developed for Aboriginal
communities, there are limited L/ES
resources that adequately address
the diverse needs of Urban
Aboriginal populations. Sustainable
funding for L/ES programs within
Friendship Centres is either not
available or quite inadequate as
compared with the high demand and
need for these services. Youth and
adults often rely upon L/ES programs
that are not necessarily sensitive to
the unique socio-cultural needs and
realities of the urban Aboriginal
populations..
[innovate + engage +
collaborate + connect =
transform]
Literacy andEssentialSkills –RoundtableSeriesUndertake a new set of roundtables
to present results from the new
PIAAC Report, and to engage
stakeholders in using evidence from
the survey to develop policy and
implement effective programming
In addition CLLN is working with potential
partners to explore the following areas of
interest for new projects.
> Looking at the role played by literacy
and essential skills in health promotion,
disease prevention, nutrition and
community health.
> Connecting with stakeholders to work
on developing a common understanding
of digital technology (formerly known as
‘computer use’) as an essential skill.
>> Opportunities
> Building a durable, yet
versatile network
architecture that will
strengthen learning as a
fundamental component
of Canadian culture.
ExECutivE
Chair: Chris Whitaker
Vice-Chair: Kim Crockatt
Treasurer: Helen Allen
Secretary: Chester Cheang
BoArd MEMBErS
Johanna Faulk
Ningwakwe George
Janet Lane
Nancy Thompson
>
>> Board and Staff
CLLN gratefully acknowledges the
financial support of the
Government of Canada's Office of
Literacy and Essential Skills
(OLES)/ESD for core and project
funding. We also express our
appreciation for the funds received
from project partnerships,
membership fees and donations.
StAff
Laura Carlson – Executive Assistant
“LMS” and “Advancing Workplace Learning” Projects
Nilambri Ghai – Field Development Liaison
Claire Hall- Project Manager “Advancing Workplace Learning”
Chris Harwood – Manager of Field Development
Annette Hegel – Manager of Communications
Lindsay Kennedy – President and CEO
Teresa LeGrand - Communications Specialist
Anne Ramsay – Project Manager, Labour Market Study
Pat Sample – Administrative Assistant
Genevieve Tilden – Research and Communication Assistant
Darlene Toop – Financial Officer
The financials have been compiled from
CLLN’s audited statements.
Auditing services have been provided by
Rheume Williams Kalbfleisch, LLP.
A detailed auditor’s report is available at:
www.literacy.ca/financials_2013
>>> FINANCIALS
Revenues 2013 2012
Total revenues $944,468 $493,983
Expenses 2013 2012
Salaries and Benefits $380,455 $253,030
Professional Fees $356,436 $81,149
Meetings and Conferences $94,101 $71,559
Overhead $80,916 $86,314
Total Expenses $911,908 $492,052
Assets 2013 2012
Current Assets $213,155 $148,401
Capital Assets $3,056 $4,365
Total Assets $244,596 $152,766
Liabilities and Net Assets 2013 2012
Total Liabilities $148,060 $88,790
Total Net Assets $96,536 $63,976
Total Liabilities and Net Assets $244,596 $152,766