Reading, writing, and work readiness.
Excel Philadelphia
Nearly 67% of the city’s adults are considered low literate; that is, they are lacking the basic skills needed to effectively compete in an increasingly knowledge-based economy or successfully complete a post-secondary degree. Developing their workforce literacy is critical to their being able to engage in meaningful employment and advance in their careers. Today’s jobs demand the ability to read and write at a high school level if not higher and also the ability to manipulate numbers, read maps, parse and follow complex directions, explain directions and processes to others, transfer knowledge from and to a variety of situations, and to understand when further learning is necessary. Excel Philadelphia is an initiative of the Philadelphia Workforce Investment Board that was created in partnership with the Philadelphia Literacy Coalition and launched to address the issue of adult literacy levels in Philadelphia. The goal of Excel Philadelphia is to inform, engage, and mobilize the full community — employers, traditional educators, adult literacy providers, government, other stakeholders, and, of course, adult learners — to create the conditions necessary to support literacy gains, particularly among working adults. For more information on Excel Philadelphia, contact Lauren Hirshon at lhirshon@pwib.org.
Download
» Excel Philadelphia Progress Report March 2007
» Excel Research Advisory Group List
