Increasing the literacy, language and numeracy skills of the workforce is a key government priority as described in the New Zealand Adult Literacy Strategy.“Literacy, language and numeracy skills provide the essential base for building competitive, high-skilled and productive workforce.”
                                                                                                                 – Tertiary Education Commission

TEC Literacy, Language and Numeracy Action Plan



ESITO Literacy Strategy 2006- 2011

“A three-pronged approach to address the literacy and numeracy needs of ESITO trainees.”

• Identify the literacy, language and numeracy demands of our qualifications and provide a profile to Industry
• Embed literacy, language and numeracy into the learning cycle
• Address literacy, language and numeracy capability for Industry trainers, providers and ESITO, and offer up sustainable support programmes.

May 2009 Update

New literacy and numeracy programmes for employees now available, including one for migrants

English Language Partners New Zealand and Literacy Aotearoa are offering free tuition to people in paid employment who want to improve their language, literacy and numeracy skills for work.

If you have employees who have workplace learning needs, we encourage you to read this information and pass it on to them. If any of your employees are migrants you may be particularly interested in the programme being offered by English Language Partners New Zealand, which is specifically designed for migrants or refugees who speak English as a second language.

Getting involved in these programmes will give your employees skills that will benefit them for life. As an employer you are also likely to gain tangible benefits, like improvements in productivity, morale and competence.

About the programmes
Funded by the Tertiary Education Commission (TEC), the programmes – English for Employees and Individualised Employees’ Literacy Programme – are available throughout New Zealand.

On average, people receive 25 hours tuition over twelve weeks from tutors with experience in workplace literacy.

Tuition is tailored to individual skill levels and goals and related to the workplace. It is also very flexible. For example, people can choose to have one-on-one or small group tuition.

Who is eligible?
To be eligible for this free tuition the person must be:

• a New Zealand citizen or permanent resident
•  employed in the paid workforce, including part-time and/or seasonal employment
•  considered to have no or low qualifications, or low literacy and numeracy skills
•  not accessing Industry Training Organisations Embedded Literacy and Numeracy Project funding
•  not participating in any form of Workplace Literacy programme through their employer
•  voluntarily participating in the activities.

Is this the same as TEC’s Workplace Literacy Fund?
No, this not the same as TEC’s Workplace Literacy Fund.

English Language Partners New Zealand and Literacy Aotearoa have been funded through TEC’s Workplace Literacy Fund – Targeted Funding to provide tuition directly to individual employees or small groups of employees.

TEC’s Workplace Literacy Fund involves the employer, and provides funding for a literacy provider to complete an organisational literacy needs analysis of the company. The provider then develops a tailor-made learning programme for the company. If you would like more information about this fund, please contact our Literacy Fields Project Manager, Satya Swami, by calling 027 292 7029 or sending him an email at SatyaS@esito.org.nz.

How can your employees enrol in these programmes?
It is best if your employees contact English Language Partners New Zealand or Literacy Aotearoa directly. Alternatively, you could contact one of the providers on behalf of your employees.

The programmes are being offered nationwide across all industries, so we encourage you to secure a place as soon as possible.

English Language Partners New Zealand
0800 FOR ESOL (0800 367 3765) – ask about English for Employees
www.esolht.org.nz/news/news/nr1237501487.html

Literacy Aotearoa
0800 678 910 – ask about Individualised Employees’ Literacy Programme
www.literacy.org.nz/workplace-literacy-targeted-fund.php


Pilot Project
2006-2008 Embedded Foundation Learning
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Previous Updates
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To access a flowchart that better illustrates ESITO's commitment to its industry trainees download the file below

ESITO Embedded Literacy Flowchart
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July 2008 – 30 May 2010: ITO Embedded Literacy and Numeracy Project

ESITO has now entered into a two-year, TEC-funded project that is the continuation and expansion of the Embedded Foundation Learning Pilot. While the objectives of this project have not changed from the pilot, there is a greater emphasis upon building the capability of industry trainers and ESITO.

Target Group

Line Mechanic Trainees – Distribution
Line Mechanic Trainees – Transmission
Cable Jointer Trainees

ESITO proposes to integrate a simple literacy, language and numeracy assessment into our induction process. The purpose is to develop a database of the training needs of all new trainees so that we can work with on and off job trainers to establish interventions that best support trainees.

The information we gather will be strictly confidential between the trainee and ESITO. It will simply provide a focus for any additional support the trainee may require in order to achieve qualification requirements, and to function and operate in a safe manner within the work place.

ESITO will continue to work with Utilitech trainers, mentoring and supporting their professional development and capability building. We also hope to work with other providers within the target group.