Brushing up on the three R's - Focus on Training - reading, writing, arithmetic and English language training in the workplace

HR Magazine, Oct, 1999 by Kathryn Tyler

Training in reading, writing, arithmetic and English as a second language helps employees reach their potential.

In 1987, Ames Rubber Corp. in Hamburg, N.J., embarked on a new total quality management program. One initiative involved group meetings that gathered participants from all organizational levels to discuss different aspects of the business.

"Each meeting had to have a leader, secretary, scribe and a timekeeper," explains Charles Roberts, vice president of total quality and strategic planning. At each meeting, participants were supposed to rotate the roles.

But, when some of the people were assigned roles of secretary or scribes, "They wouldn't show up for the meetings," said Roberts. "We found out that they didn't show up because they couldn't read or write very well."

Like many companies - particularly in the manufacturing industry - Ames Rubber discovered that some of its employees lacked basic skills.

According to the National Institute For Literacy (NIFL), a federal institute based in Washington, D.C., American businesses lose more than $60 billion in productivity each year due to employees' lack of basic skills.

Yet, an NIFL survey of more than 300 executives found that while 71 percent reported that basic written communication training was critical to meeting the changing demands of their workplaces, only 26 percent of companies offered this kind of training. And, 47 percent of the executives reported a need for workers to improve basic math skills, but only 5 percent of companies offered such training.

Companies are discovering just how crucial it is for employees to have these skills.

"We get called by companies who have put together another training program and then have math problems they haven't anticipated," says Mark Weinfeld, director of Mathworks, a corporate math skills training company in Union, N.J.

"In the early '90s, we trained mainly financial companies, but as time has gone on, we've gotten calls from all sorts of companies, including those not traditionally associated with numbers. As we [as a society] become more technologically advanced, we get more calls."

For example, a training consultant at one New York insurance and annuity firm, who asked not to be named, says that the company recently began offering a course on interpreting graphs in response to the increased use of graphic computer software programs.

Evey Renner, owner of Evelyn Renner and Associates, a consulting firm offering literacy and English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) training in Anaheim, Calif., adds, "As more sophisticated technologies are developed, we rely on the printed word more than ever."

Another reason for increased training in basic skills is that low unemployment rates have forced companies to promote from within and to prepare front-line employees for new challenges. Potential managers often take "placement tests with a math component," explains Weinfeld. Unfortunately, he adds, many fail the math portion of the test. "They can't get enough people to take the management jobs because they can't pass the math" tests.

Basic math "tends to be an area of business professional development that is naturally overlooked," says a training manager at a national sports league that offers math classes oriented to the retail industry to its employees.

Other companies may offer basic skills training, but they are reluctant to widely advertise their courses.

"Investment and financial institutions are leery about letting others know they are teaching their people math skills" because they do not want to frighten investors, says Weinfeld. "We sign a lot of confidentiality agreements."

Daniel Wagner, director and professor of education at the National Center on Adult Literacy in Philadelphia, believes society is becoming increasingly aware of the problem and that the definition of "basic skills" has become more comprehensive. "We are expecting a broader range of skills from each individual," he explained.

Unfortunately, even when companies recognize a need for basic skills training, some don't know how to provide it - so the need goes unmet. As one executive put it, "I'm running a corporation, not an elementary school."

What Does "Basic Skills" Mean?

Basic skills are the reading, writing, speaking and mathematics abilities required to function in society, perform one's work and achieve one's goals. This definition includes activities such as ability to read directions, locate information on a table, complete a benefits selection form, explain a problem in English and compute sales tax.

The most recent National Adult Literacy Survey by the U.S. Department of Education's National Center for Education Statistics showed that 21 percent of the U.S. adult population - 40 million Americans older than 16 - have rudimentary reading and writing skills. Most adults in this category cannot draft a letter explaining an error on their credit card bill, the 1992 survey found.

The 1992 study also shows that the highest math skill for 22 percent of adults in this country is simple arithmetic. They can add 4 plus 4 if the problem is placed in a mathematical format (4 + 4 = ?). It's a different story when they are asked, "You have 4 apples. Johnny gives you 2 and Lillian gives you 2 more. How many do you have?" They are unable to extract the necessary information to determine how to solve the problem.