Workplace Literacy

• • Requirements for TEOs
  • Requirements for employers
  • Requirements for learners

Requirements for employers

Employers must be legal entities in order to be eligible for Workplace Literacy funding.

To apply for funding, employers must provide literacy and numeracy training to a minimum of 50 employees. 

Requirements for employer Workplace Literacy programmes

The TEC expects employers to demonstrate that their programme will:

• provide literacy and numeracy training to a minimum of 50 employees over a 12 month period, either in house or by contracting a TEO[1] of their choice
• provide a structured programme of workplace literacy and numeracy of at least 40 contact hours at a minimum of one hour and maximum of four hours each week 
• use appropriately qualified and experienced literacy and numeracy tutors
• use the Literacy and Numeracy for Adults Assessment Tool, for employees whose skills fall within the Learning Progressions – or Starting Points Assessment Guide (PDF, 1 Mb) for learners not yet at the first steps of the Learning Progressions – to identify employees' literacy and numeracy needs and measure literacy and numeracy gain, as detailed in WPL001[2]
• maintain auditable records of employee participation and learning gain
• have an explicit focus on literacy and numeracy development linked to the individual workplace context, by ensuring that:
  • a workplace analysis is completed as part of its preparation
  • they have the ability to develop a coherent customised learning programme
  • there is senior management leadership and commitment to the programme
  • there is strategic consideration of changing business practices and in-house training to contribute to improving employees’ workplace literacy and numeracy
• receive funding for a maximum of two years, if a second cohort of learners is desired
• lead to the development of a sustainable employee literacy and numeracy support programme within the business at the conclusion of the programme.

• [1]

  Tertiary education organisation (TEO)

• [2]

  Rule WPL001: Workplace Literacy funding eligibility

  To be eligible for Workplace Literacy funding, training programmes must use the Literacy and Numeracy for Adults assessment tool to measure literacy and numeracy gains and outcomes for funded learners:

  • Each learner must be assessed against at least one strand of the Learning Progressions, selected from either the reading or the numeracy strand
  • Follow-up assessments must be against the same strand(s) as the initial assessment
  • For learners whose skills fall below the Learning Progressions, assessment must be against the "Starting Points" assessment guide and/or the numeracy strand of the Learning Progressions.