In 2012, the Australian Government released the National Foundation Skills Strategy for Adults with the intention that by 2022 (next year!) two-thirds of working-age Australians would have literacy and numeracy skills sufficient to enable them to fully participate in modern, technology-rich environments; the workplace, community, and education and training.
When the Strategy was released, most recent data at that time showed 40% of employed Australians, 60% of unemployed Australians and 70% of people not in the workforce had literacy and/or numeracy levels below that deemed to be the minimum to meet the complex demands of life and work.
Foundation skills are a combination of English language, literacy, and numeracy (LLN) skills and employability skills and are considered fundamental for opportunities in life, work and learning. They are considered necessary for entering employment and progressing a career within an increasingly knowledge-based economy.
Within LLN, the area of digital literacy has become even more prominent over the years - not least because of last year’s events and the massive shift to ‘online’ as a way to support continuation of business, and education and training throughout the pandemic. Digital literacy is part of a suite of core skills that are fundamental for individuals to be able to participate in society and work.
A background overview to Australia’s National Foundation Skills Strategy for Adults is provided in the Skills Education session 'Foundation Skills - More than just a Training Package'.
In the weeks across April 2021 different presenters will be running Skills Education sessions to support RTOs to:
Reference reading: