Workplace literacy and the WELL Program

A level of change is occurring in some jobs in the forest, wood, paper and timber products industry. These changes often require people at all workplace levels ranging from the new employee and apprentice to those working at manager or supervisor levels to update their workplace literacy. This may require new information to be understood and followed such as legislation or standards or the need to learn new technology that is related to a newly implemented workplace process.

The way we communicate ideas and opinions, use information and maths skills, make decisions and solve problems and use information systems, technology and tools to do the job will require effective learning strategies to cope with these job changes and demands.

It is about using both practical and literacy skills to do the job in the workplace so that we can:

• Read a range of printed, electronic and visual texts
• Master new communication technologies via spoken and written language
• Locate, manage, evaluate and use information or knowledge
• Engage confidently with media and other texts.

Workplace literacy skills can be included in workplace training programs and can cater for people’s different literacy levels.

Further information

The Reading Writing Hotline – national adult literacy and numeracy referral service (Phone 1300 655 506).