At ABET Level 3, your employees have reached the halfway mark in their learning journey. Workers who have completed this ABET level have English literacy and numeracy skills that are equivalent to that of someone who has attained Grade 5. They are, therefore, still in the process of acquiring workplace literacy skills. There is still one more adult literacy training and adult numeracy training level that they have to complete. When they have achieved this important milestone, your employees will be able to perform at their peak.
Workers who hold an ABET Level 4 certificate are more than able to perform general and entry-level jobs. Equipped with workplace literacy skills, they will be able to communicate efficiently in the written and spoken word. They will also understand workplace policies and procedures, while being more aligned to your vision and ethos because they understand them. Moreover, your employees will be able to use new technologies. They will also be able to perform basic tasks such as taking measurements and inventorying stock. Your employees will also use these skills to solve problems and make informed decisions. They will be able to do this individually or as part of teams with minimal supervision from supervisors or managers.
Progressing to ABET Level 3
Progressing to ABET Level 3, your employees have demonstrated sheer grit and a willingness to succeed. They were selected for adult literacy training and adult numeracy training to improve their performance in the workplace. Their skills levels were also preventing them from growing and developing their careers and as individuals.
Workplace literacy and numeracy gaps impact businesses in many ways. They impede efficiency due to errors as a result of misunderstandings between staff or workers and management. This leads to waste and downtime. It can also cause tension and disrupt good dynamics between representatives of teams. These gaps can even be the cause of accidents that lead to lost-time-injuries and fatalities. Companies also struggle to implement new systems and procedures when their staff cannot read, write or do basic maths. They are, therefore, unable to respond quickly enough to new opportunities that will grow business.
According to the World Literacy Foundation, the cost of illiteracy to the global economy is USD1,19-trillion. Refer to the foundation’s full study into the impact of illiteracy on the world economy: https://worldliteracyfoundation.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/The-Economic-Social-Cost-of-Illiteracy-2022.pdf. In the United States, illiteracy costs business and society at least USD225-billion a year due to productivity losses, crime and unemployment. In 2018, illiteracy is estimated to have cost the UK economy about £80-billion. This figure does not consider the hidden costs of functional illiteracy.
The cost of illiteracy is, therefore, expected to be much more than £80-billion. South Africa’s illiteracy rate is significantly higher than these two developed countries and it is well known that we are wrestling with a dire skills crisis. According to research undertaken by the Stellenbosch University, South Africa would be able to grow its gross-domestic product by up to 30% by achieving a more typical school performance. Refer to the full study: https://resep.sun.ac.za/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/wp-14-2010.pdf.
ABET Level 3 and life skills
However, ABET Level 3 also develops your employees’ life skills. It is for this reason that many enterprising human resources practitioners prefer to use the term “functional literacy” instead of “workplace literacy”. This is when referring to the skills imparted by their adult literacy training and adult numeracy training programmes. Refer to https://gaml.uis.unesco.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2018/08/gaml4-functional-literacy-numeracy.pdf for a formal definition and more detail on functional literacy and numeracy.
Notably, the term “functional literacy” emphasises that literacy and numeracy skills are required for effective performance in all facets of life. Certainly, they are not only necessary in the workplace. Therefore, companies that invest in improving the literacy and numeracy skills of their employees are contributing towards the improvement of South African society at large. For many responsible companies, this is a good enough reason to continue investing in quality ABET. They are also proud of the part that they are playing in solving South Africa’s significant illiteracy challenge. This is a responsibility that government cannot shoulder on its own through its adult literacy training and adult numeracy training programmes.
Worryingly, our adult literacy rate is only 87%, which is also lower than other developing countries. Of even greater concern is that about a third of young South Africans are illiterate. They will, therefore, join the labour force as unskilled or semi-skilled workers. These jobs offer low wages that barely cover the cost of living and provide scant opportunity for growth and development. They also do not provide secure employment in a country that is increasingly relying on high level skills. The less fortunate will join the many South Africans who have been side lined because they have nothing to offer the modern economy. Currently, more than half of South Africa’s youth are unemployed because they are unskilled or semi-skilled.
ABET Level 3 learners
ABET Level 3 learners are a step closer to being able to read, write, speak and listen in ways that enable them to communicate effectively to different audiences. Individuals also use these skills to make sense of the world. This is by integrating reading and writing with speaking, listening, viewing and critical thinking. Their numeracy skills enable them to access, use, interpret and communicate mathematical information and ideas. With these skills, people are able to effectively engage in and manage the mathematical demands of various life situations. They also use these skills to develop logical thinking and reasoning strategies. This is in addition to making sense of numbers, time, pattern and shapes for a myriad of activities that involve an understanding of basic maths. They range from simple functions such as cooking and catching public transport on time through to more complex duties, for example managing personal finances.
Importantly, English literacy and numeracy skills enable people to continue learning to improve their circumstances. For many individuals, the learning journey only starts when they have completed the adult literacy training and adult numeracy training programme. During the training, they gained a newfound respect and passion for education. They realised its relevance and importance and are, thus, motivated to keep on improving their circumstances by acquiring knowledge.
ABET Level 3 literacy skills
You should already notice a marked improvement in the performance of employees when they have acquired ABET Level 3 literacy skills. This is especially if your employees started the adult literacy training and adult numeracy training programme at earlier levels. Then, their literacy skills were still very poor, which was noticeable in the way in which they performed their job every day.
As they progress though the ABET programme, employees gradually gain an ability to deal with material that is simple, clearly designed and in which the tasks involved are not too complex. At this tentative stage of the ABET programme, they are able to read but still test poorly. During the early stages of training, employees also start to develop coping skills to manage everyday literacy demands, including in the workplace. However, they are not yet able to cope with unique demands, for example learning new job skills. This will only be possible once they have completed ABET Level 4. By this time, they will be able to integrate several sources of information and solve more complex problems.
Employees will also possess the numeracy skills that they need to understand straightforward mathematical information that is used for different purposes. Moreover, employees will be able to select relevant information expressed in graphic, numerical and written forms. This includes an ability to perform simple percentages and convert units of measure. In the early phases of adult numeracy training, your employees were still learning the basics. They did not yet understand information communicated in numbers, symbol, simple diagrams and charts in graphic, numerical and written form.
ABET Level 3 and beyond
Triple E Training has helped many employees to progress to ABET Level 3 and then beyond.
We have remained industry’s foremost provider of adult literacy training and adult numeracy training for more than 30 years. This is by providing quality ABET that has a measurable positive impact on business performance, while also improving the growth and development prospects of participants.
Learn more about Triple E Training and our quality ABET solutions. www.eee.co.za
