Recently concern has been voiced over worker illiteracy particularly in light of forecast labor force shortages. A survey of 533 local government units revealed that over 60% of the jurisdictions currently employed workers who lack basic language and arithmetic skills. Illiteracy clearly is a barrier to upward mobility and suggests problems in providing service to the public. Some evidence was found of proactive stand on the part of local government by providing some basic skill training or accommodating for lack of language or computational skills. Implications of labor access and mobility of traditionally disadvantaged groups are discussed.
Get full access to this article
View all access options for this article.
References
1.
AlreckP.SettleR. (1985). The survey research handbook.Homewood, Illinois: Irwin.
2.
BittelI. (1985). What every supervisor should know. (5th ed.) New York: McGraw Hill, 1985.
3.
BozemanB.All Organizations are Public.San Francisco: Jossey Bass, 1987.
4.
BurtonJ. F.ThomasonT., “The Extent of Collective Bargaining in the Public Sector.” In BenjaminA.NasjitaJ. M.SternS. L. (Eds.). Public Sector Bargaining (2d ed.), Washington, D. C.: Bureau of National Affairs, 1988.
5.
ChaikenS. (1980). Labors critical issues: The two-tiered society. The Journal of the Institute for Socioeconomic Studies, 5(2), 1–27.
6.
ChubbJ. E.MoeT. M., “Politics, Markets, and the Organization of Schools.”America Political Science Review, 1985Vol. 5, No. 2, 1–27.
FeuerD.The skill gap: America's crisis of competence. Training, December, 1987, pp. 27–35.
9.
GreenbergE. R., (Ed.) Basic skills: An AMA Research Report on Testing and Training.New York: American Management Association: 1989.
10.
HarmanD.Illiteracy: A National Dilemma.New York: Cambridge Book Co., 1987.
11.
HoerrJ.Business shares the blame for workers' low skills. Business Week, July 25, 1990), p. 71.
12.
“Illiteracy in the Civil Service.”Business Council for Effective Literacy Newsletter, January, 1987, p. 2.
13.
“Illiteracy in the Workplace.”Wilson Library Bulletin, October, 1985, p. 39.
14.
LeeC. (1989). “The 3 R's.”Training, Vol. 26, No. 10, pp. 67–70, 74, 76.
15.
MartinA. M.“Improving the access and mobility of people in organizations.”Papers selected from the ASTD Annual invitational Research Seminar, New York: ASTD, 1982, pp. 27–71.
16.
OppenheimN. A., Questionnaire Design and Attitude Measurement.New York: Basic Books, 1969.
17.
RaineyH. G., “Public Management: Recent Developments in Research.”Journal of Management, 1990, Vol. 15, 229–250.
18.
ReissA. H., “Nonprofits Tackle a Nationwide Crisis.”Management Review. April, 1990, Vol. 79, 30–33.
19.
The Rockefeller Foundation.Literacy and the Marketplace: Improving the Literacy of Low-Income Single Mothers. New York, 1989.
20.
RossI.Corporations Take Aim at Illiteracy, Fortune, September, 1986, 48–54.
21.
RothwellRothwell W. J.BrandenburgD. C. (1990). “Solutions to Literacy Deficiencies in the Workplace: A Survey of Current Practices.”Performance Improvement Quarterly, 1990, Vol. 3, 16–28.
22.
ScarpelloV.MotowidloS., “Workforce 2000: Assumptions, Trends and Staffing Implications.”Proceedings of the 42nd Annual Meeting, Industrial Relations Research Association, 1990, pp. 518–526.
23.
SkagenA. (Ed.), Workplace Literacy.New York: American Management Association, 1986.
24.
St. John-HunterC.HarmanD.Adult Illiteracy in the United States.New York: McGraw Hill, 1979.
25.
TorrenceD. R.TorrenceJ. A.“Training in the Face of Illiteracy”, Training and Development Journal, August, 1987, 44–48.
26.
Unions: Bread, Butter & Basic Skills.Business Council for Effective Literacy Newsletter, 13, October 1987, pp. 1, 4–5.
