The issue of language, literacy and numeracy (LLN) in the workplace has achieved a very high profile in recent times. New government policies have been formulated to address the chronic problem of poor LLN skills among workers, and extra funding has been made available for specialist training programs and support services.

But some experienced workplace trainers have been left wondering: What's all the fuss about? There have always been LLN problems among industry workers. Overall, they have coped with their limitations by adopting a range of practical strategies, and their supervisors and trainers have also learned to handle it by developing their own work-around solutions.

However, although it's true that the VET system has been dealing with these issues for many years, it's also a fact that LLN skills are becoming increasingly important in the workplace, even for workers with hands-on jobs.

Equipment that was once manually operated is progressively being replaced by computerised machinery, and much of the information that used to be shared verbally or in hand-written notes is now being transmitted electronically.

Traditional muscle power and hand skills are no longer enough to keep workers gainfully employed in 'technology rich' workplaces.

Employees are often required to attend training courses just to stay up-to-date with developments in their current jobs, and poor LLN skills can serious hold back their employability. For those who want to go a step further and follow a career path, sound LLN skills are even more important.

Recent studies have found that about half of all adult Australians do not have the LLN skills that are required for them to meet the demands of their day-to-day lives. A report commissioned by the 11 industry skills councils in 2011 called No More Excuses stated that:

• 53% of Australian adults have difficulty with numeracy
  
  
• 46% have difficulty with reading.

These figures were based on research published by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in its Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (2006). Although they don't relate directly to literacy and numeracy levels in the workforce, these statistics are a good reflection of the overall scope of the problem.

They will also come as no surprise to the trainers who deal with this reality on a day-to-day basis. In many industry training programs, LLN problems among learners is so commonplace that trainers play it safe and make the assumption that in any given class at least some of the participants are going to need extra help with the 3 Rs - Reading, Riting and Rithmatic.

You can download the original 'No more excuses' report here.

You can also see the LLN data released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in their report titled: 4228.0 - Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies, Australia, 2011-12

For a different perspective on the current LLN 'crisis' (as it is described by some commentators), have a read of the article: Investigating the 'crisis': production workers' literacy and numeracy practices

What does LLN mean?

'Language, literacy and numeracy' describes three separate components in the way words and numbers are used to communicate ideas or information.

In broad terms:

• Language refers to the words used to communicate. People who speak English as a second language can have language difficulties if their command of English is not up the standard required for the level of communication they're involved in.
  
  
• Literacy is the ability to read and write. It includes 'critical thinking', which enables a person to understand what they're reading and express thoughts clearly in their writing.
  
  
• Numeracy is the ability to use numbers. It ranges from simple mathematics to the use of graphs and analytical tables.

Government policies and VET compliance

Over the last few years there have been some major government policy developments in the way LLN is addressed in the VET system, including:

• increasing the provision of funding for training programs in workplaces
  
  
• using the Australian Core Skills Framework (ACSF) to embed 'core skills' into Training Package competencies
  
  
• allowing competencies from the Foundation Skills Training Package (FSTP) to be included in traineeship and apprenticeship qualifications
  
  
• requiring trainers and assessors to hold either TAELLN411 (Address adult language, literacy and numeracy skills) as a mandatory competency in the upcoming TAE40116 qualification.

Have a think about the typical literacy levels of your learners.

Do some have LLN difficulties that affect their ability to read the course material, carry out calculations or complete assessment tasks?

How do you currently deal with these issues?

Does your RTO offer support services over and above the help you give to individual students?