Workplace Literacy Grant
Purpose
The Delaware Economic Development Office and the Interagency Coalition on Adult Literacy have joined together to assist Delaware businesses to upgrade the basic skills of their current workforce. A Workplace Literacy Grant program has been created to promote basic skills enhancement in the workplace, encourage the establishment of new workplace literacy programs, and build the capacity of existing programs through the state.

Program Criteria

• Develop a workplace literacy program which enhances individual employees' basic skills (grade levels K-12) necessary to pursue further job skills training required to retain or upgrade their current positions.
• Establish new programs and/or build the capacity of existing programs to serve more employees within business and industry.
• Provide contributions, by participating companies, equal to the grant which may include "in-kind" contributions such as services to the program, personnel, facilities, equipment, supplies, materials and/or employee wages while in training.

Priority Will be Given To:

• Companies located within school districts and/or census tracts with documented levels of adult non-high school completers.
• Partnerships between companies, business/industry associations and/or training organizations which enable employees from multiple companies to participate in a workplace program.

A representative from Workforce Development serves on the Executive Committee of the Interagency Council on Adult Literacy (ICAL). DEDO supports the ICAL through public relations activities, outreach to business and industry, and administering the Workplace Literacy Grant program. Employees receive confidential assessments of their basic skills capabilities; then courses are developed to meet the specific needs of the company and their employees. The company provides materials, such as safety manuals, time sheets and inventory control forms, that become classroom materials. As a result, employees improve their reading skills, learn how to solve basic math problems, and learn the English language by using material they work with every day on the job.