Understanding Essential Skills

Continuous Learning examines the requirement for workers in an occupational group to participate in an ongoing process of acquiring skills and knowledge.

Continuous Learning tests the hypothesis that more and more jobs require continuous upgrading, and that all workers must continue learning in order to keep or to grow with their jobs. If this is true, then the following will become essential skills:

• knowing how to learn;

• understanding one's own learning style; and

• knowing how to gain access to a variety of materials, resources and learning opportunities.

Description of Learning

This description, in the form of an untitled paragraph at the beginning of the Continuous Learning section in each Essential Skills Profile, outlines the ongoing learning or skills upgrading that is required in the occupational group. This description may include the following types of learning:

• training in job-related health and safety;

• obtaining and updating credentials; and

• learning about new equipment, procedures, products and services.

• Source: http://www.hrsdc.gc.ca/eng/workplaceskills/essential_skills/general/Help_section68.shtml