Essential Skills Work Ready Youth Program (ESWRYP)
ESWRYP was created to assist educators, counsellors, and parents work with Youth to improve Essential Skills. The objective is to increase a student/youth’s level of essential skills to a level where they as an individual can not only find and retain employment but find academic success. Our approach is to engage front line workers of youth and for them to use the program as a complement to existing curriculum not to replace.
Marisa Sosa, Skills/Compétences Canada
343-883-7545 x517
marisas@skillscanada.com
294 Albert Street, Suite 201, Ottawa ON K1P 6E6
Initiative Impact
Challenges come from how to promote the program to key individuals in order to implement use in classrooms, youth centres, and employment centres
Lessons learned: Consult ALL intended audiences while in development phase, social media is a great promotional tool to reach a national audience, and have a third party review/critique.
We have had very positive feedback from school board officials, and immediate request for copies in order to begin using. Unexpectedly, Newcomer centres/LINC schools have also expressed interest in using the modules as a complement to existing work.
Incorporation of Essential Skills
The program is broken into different modules, each representing an Essential Skills, except for digital which has been integrated within each module.
Each module contains a paper version of the ES Mobile app which assesses the ES with a series of multiple-choice questions. Teachers/counsellors can administer as a test or allow for self-assessment.
Project Components
The workbooks contain skilled trade information snippets about individuals and their contribution to Canadian history. Nothing is more exciting to a reader when they can identify with the examples or information they are reading. We have information snippets about Mohawk Ironworkers (Numeracy workbook), Cree (Oral Communication/Document Use workbooks), Indigenous Artists/singer/songwriter (Thinking/Reading Text workbooks), and Inuit reference (Working with Others workbook).
In terms of delivery, we present the program for individuals to take and use as they se fit. The concept may be adapted to a particular audience. Facilitated sessions based on the ESWRYP is always geared towards the intended audience.
To understand the importance of Essential Skills and how maintaining a good level (3 or more) of ES improves employments and academic success. How to apply the ES to work, school, and life.
ESDC main funders, Bow Valley College developed module content, assessment content, Skillplan developed initial ES assessment content