Dyslexia in the Workplace Learning Outcomes:

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• Pauline Rossi
• National Network Trainer

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Workplace Basic Skills

• The business case
• Whats the issue?

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• Why are good basic skills necessary in todays
  workplace?
• What is the impact of poor basic skills on
  business?
• How may problems manifest themselves?
• The next step

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Percentage of adults with literacy skills at the
lowest level

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Source Literacy Skills for the Knowledge
Society, OECD,1997
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Percentage of adults with numeracy skills at the
lowest level

Source Literacy Skills for the Knowledge
Society, OECD, 1997
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• In England - 23 million adults in employment
• approximately 3 million have poor levels of
  literacy
• approximately 9 million have poor levels of
  numeracy

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Who Moved My Cheese? Dr Spencer Johnson

• Organisational structure culture
• Nature of work
• JIT, Kaizen, TQM
• Production methods
• Technology IT
• Multi-skilling
• Communication

• Customer focus
• Niche markets
• Local gt national, global markets
• Legislation HS, mandatory quals. etc
• Quality ISO, IiP
• Job security

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• Employers want employees who are able to cope
  with the fast-changing demands of the workplace
  .
• Institute for Employment Studies, Feb. 2004

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The Impact

• High wastage rates
• Administration errors with customer orders
• Poor communications with colleagues and customers
• Incorrect measurements/calculations
• Incorrect production of orders
• Machine downtime problems

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The Impact contd

• Poor time-keeping
• Inefficient production or provision of services
• High staff turnover / absenteeism
• Problems adapting to change new methods of
  working and new technology / flexibility
• Discrimination / bullying
• Implications for HS legislation

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The Bottom Line

• In the UK, estimated potential benefit to
  industry of improving language, literacy and
  numeracy to level 2 10 billion Ernst Young
• Estimated annual cost of poor basic skills in an
  organisation with
• 51 100 employees could be 86,000
• 1,000 or more employees could be 500,000
• The Cost to Industry, Basic Skills Agency Survey
  from Gallup Poll Ltd. (from Not my Problem)

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• Fact
• 1/3 of employers have no training plan to build
  on the skills of their staff
• Fact
• 1/5 of job vacancies remain unfilled because of
  a lack of skilled applicants
• DfES Skills for Life Why make it your
  business?

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How Would My Company Benefit?

• Written instructions understood and followed
• Improved quality product produced correctly
  first time, quality procedures followed and
  understood, workers more able to problem-solve
  independently
• Increased accuracy less wastage of materials,
  forms filled in accurately
• Better customer relations fewer customer
  complaints

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Benefits contd

• Better team performance workers able to
  participate, share ideas, create solutions
• Improved workforce morale greater confidence
  and job satisfaction less absenteeism, less
  staff turnover
• Fewer accidents better understanding of safety
  procedures, hazards identified
• Equal employment opportunities increased
  ability and confidence to participate in training
  and take on increased job responsibilities
• Basic Skills Agency Not my Problem

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Indicators of Skills Gaps

• Reluctance
• to do certain jobs
• to take on extra responsibilities
• to accept promotion
• to take up training opportunities
• to complete paperwork
• to contribute to, or attend meetings
• Hostility to change
• Lack of understanding of written instructions
• Workers covering for their colleagues with
  difficulties
• Absenteeism

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Identifying the need

• What skills are required in your organisation?
• Which staff need which skills? Do they have
  them?
• Conduct job task analysis
• Carry out screening

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Assessment

• At induction
• At appraisal
• With introduction of new equipment, procedures
  etc
• With other vocational training

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Training models

• Benevolent - programmes considered beneficial
  for individuals, not necessarily for company.
• Soft - most prevalent model training relevant
  to workplace needs but lack of structures to
  evaluate impact. Ownership issues.
• Hard - deals with specific production problems
  knows desired outcome so can assess impact.
• Integrated - fits with TQM approach develops
  staff at all levels holistic participatory
  embraces concept of a learning organisation,
  performance appraisal and career management.
  Benefits assessed according to effect on
  production and quality and on company culture.
• From Wilkinson Gillespie in Breaking down
  Barriers, NIACE 2003

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• Commitment to improving the workplace basic
  skills of employees begins with corporate
  leadership and direction, and progresses with
  input from all stakeholders including unions and
  employees.
• Conference Board of Canada Breaching the
  Barriers to Workplace Literacy, 2001

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Basic Skills by any Other Name

• Essential Skills for Work
• Using a Calculator at Work
• Communication Skills for Supervisors
• Customer Care for Carers
• Make the Most of Meetings
• Telephone Skills
• Better Report Writing

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Resistance

• Cost
• Time
• Money
• No problem here
• We already train our staff / they dont want or
  like training
• Not our problem govt. problem
• Employees will move on to work elsewhere

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UK National Initiatives

• DfES / ABSSU
• Get On campaign Marketing Toolkit
• Move On campaign
• Gremlins
• Champions employers, TUC, CBI
• Employer Toolkit

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UK National Initiatives contd

• Basic Skills Agency
• Video Basic Skills in the Workplace
• Not My Problem
• Making it Happen
• IiP and Basic Skills
• Getting the Basics Right
• Broker training

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Regional Projects (North West)

• Learner Awards Manchester
• The Awards, which recognised the difference
  people have made to their lives through learning,
  were a huge success.

• Learner forum
• A video,CD ROM and a Booklet of learner writings
  entitled 'Opening Doors was produced. These will
  be a valuable resource for tutors and brokers in
  the area.

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Contact Details

• Pauline Rossi pauline.rossi_at_lancaster.ac.uk
• Workplace Basic Skills Network
• www.lancs.ac.uk/wbsnet
• Conference Board of Canada
• www.conferenceboard.ca