A new online skills hub has been launched to support adults with low workplace, financial and digital literacy, allowing them to connect and share their experiences during the pandemic.
ABC Life Literacy Canada says adult learners have faced an extra difficult year with no traditional in-classroom learning support — many have family obligations and extra financial pressure.
“Literacy in Canada has been a problem for a long time, and it’s also a secretive problem. We don’t talk about it as much as we should,” said Executive Director, Mack Rogers.
“There’s a stigma attached to it,” he said.
Rogers notes that, according to ABC Life Literacy Canada, most adults in the country read at a high school level or less.
“It’s a really important thing to think about and how it impacts our lives.”
Rogers says the pandemic made an existing issue even worse.
“A community is only as good as how we treat our most vulnerable. Those who struggle with literacy were the first ones to lose their jobs, for the most part, and when and how to access government supports like CERB.”
He also notes people who struggle with literacy statistically struggled to get rehired after being laid off.
He says the most important thing is connecting people to resources and making the community accessible — online or otherwise.
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“It’s not just on the learner to learn, it’s also on the community to adapt to support the learner.”
