Work in Progress

Investigating the crisis: production workers? literacy and numeracy practices

• Summary
• Purpose
• Approach
• Research questions
• Methodology
• Organisations

Summary

Purpose

The literacy and numeracy ‘crisis’ in Australian workplaces referred to here is based on the many recent media, government and industry reports which have drawn attention to how the low literacy and numeracy (and language, hence LLN) levels of Australian workers are having major negative effects on productivity and other measures of economic development. Skills Australia (2010) for example, states LLN skills are ‘fundamental to improved workforce participation’ (p.3) and ‘it is vital that we improve core adult language, literacy and numeracy skills if we are to achieve higher participation rates’ (p.1). Attention is drawn to the 40% of the workforce with low levels of LLN which is described as ‘an alarming statistic indicating the need for an ‘urgent reversal of Australia’s stagnating LLN performance’ (p.40).

This project focuses specifically on production workers in competitive manufacturing enterprises within the broader framework of the literacy and numeracy crisis in Australian workplaces. The aim is to get ‘beneath’ the crisis to examine in detail the problems, issues and strategies for improvements that will lead to benefits for the production workers and for their enterprises. In so doing, the project addresses key elements of the Industry Skills Council’s proposals (2011, p.49) including:
* An increased capacity of the VET system, and all practitioners, to support the LLN skills development needs of learners and employees;
* Better targeted solutions for building the LLN skills of employees/learners;

and Skills Australia’s (2011) goals:
* To increase the proportion of individuals with improved literacy and numeracy levels (p.31); and
* To increase the percentage of enterprises undertaking process, technology or organisational innovations (p.32)

The project aims to investigate how literacy and numeracy are integrated in work practices in competitive manufacturing industries, and how groups of production workers in selected competitive manufacturing enterprises learn and manage the literacy and numeracy practices required in their training and in their work. Importantly, the project investigates the changing literacy and numeracy practices that are involved as firms transition to new ways of operating that enhance their capacity to innovate and adapt to global economic conditions.

Approach

Qualitative

Research questions

The research will address the following key questions:

* How are LLN practices embedded in the workplace practices of production workers in competitive manufacturing?
* What are the varied perspectives (e.g. production workers, trainers, supervisors, employers and unions) on the literacy and numeracy practices, problems and issues involving production work in competitive manufacturing?
* How do production workers experience learning in their training programs and on the job? What supports and hinders their learning, and to what extent is LLN an influencing factor?
* What are the recommendations for improving how LLN practices are learnt and managed by production workers on the job and in their training?

Methodology

The project will involve workplace ethnographies of three competitive manufacturing firms. Semi-structured interviews will be undertaken with managers, trainers, workplace supervisors and—if permission is granted—employees as well as close observations of production workers whilst undertaking their work and while they are undertaking training. The production workers will be interviewed about why they perform certain tasks in the manner they do; how they believe they are learning to be competent in the work tasks; what skills and knowledge they believe they are drawing on; and what is supporting or hindering their learning.

Workplace supervisors and trainers (on- and off-the-job) will be interviewed in order to obtain their views on the literacy and numeracy demands of the training and the workplace, as well as the difficulties that they believe the production workers are experiencing. Workplace managers and union officials will be interviewed about the organisational structure and priorities of the enterprise, and the direction and approach to workforce development that are being pursued by the enterprise. An analysis of the types of documents production workers are expected to understand and/or produce as well as the physical environment in which they work will also be undertaken during this stage.

Organisations

Centre for Research in Learning & Change, University of Technology Sydney
The Centre for Research in Learning and Change is a key University Research Strength of the University of Technology, Sydney. It was established in 2006 and builds on the previous work of research centres within the Education Faculty at UTS, in particular the highly-regarded OVAL Research.

The Centre has access to all the resources of a major university including an extensive and effective library system, efficient financial control and reporting systems and systems for ensuring that research is conducted within ethical standards appropriate to the work.

The Centre’s systems and processes have been designed to ensure that its research products are relevant to the client’s needs and, at the same time, also meet the highest standards of scholarship. In particular this means that the Centre is committed to the widest possible dissemination of its work and to ensuring that its reports are useful and written in a style and language suited to the client’s needs.

The centre continues the work of its predecessor in seeking to connect directly with the field and in having strong linkages with key players in the areas of VET, employer organisations, the trade union movement and government policy agencies.

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