This document provides a summary of the final report of a three-year research project designed to develop and test an evaluation model for measuring the long-term outcomes of workplace literacy and essential skills (LES) training. Eighteen workplaces in Manitoba and Nova Scotia were selected for study.

The findings from this project suggest that workplace LES programs can produce measurable gains and performance improvements that continue beyond the end of training, and extend beyond direct gains in skills and practices. Researchers looked at benefits to both employees and businesses.

In addition, the findings suggest that workplace LES training can be effective for groups who are often thought to benefit less from training, including employees with less than high school education, immigrants who speak English as a second language, and older workers.

The document also details the research design of the project, including its overall framework, research questions, and evaluation model.