Creating Opportunities through Basic Skills Training. A Study of the Ontario Basic Skills Program and Its French-Language Counterpart, Formation de base de l'Ontario.

Data were collected between July and November 1992 to identify ways in which the Ontario Basic Skills (OBS) and Formation de base de l'Ontario (FBO) programs had helped learners progress toward further training or employment. It also identified the partnerships and collaborative efforts within Conestoga College and beyond that added to the community as a whole and to the individual participant. Methodology included face-to-face interviews, phone calls, and questionnaires to past and present participants, college personnel, and community-based workers. The following recommendations were made: students should be tracked better after leaving to evaluate program effectiveness and modify it where necessary; the programs should continue to follow the methods of adult education; the college system should continue to recognize OBS and FBO as vital programs; there should be more communication among OBS and FBO programs; there should be more program modifications to meet needs of Native Peoples; colleges and program funders should identify groups and individuals not being served and develop strategies to close these gaps; and funding should be on a multiyear basis to ensure effective development and delivery of OBS and FBO programs. (Interview instruments, OBS Program funding to colleges, and background information are appended.) (YLB)