FROM WORKFORCE LITERACY TO LITERACY WORKFORCE - MIND MAPPING THE "SKIM PEMBACAAN INISIATIF KEBANGSAAN" AND A SECOND CHANCE FOR INTERMEDIATE MASTERY AFTER SPM

FRANCHISING A MODULAR LOW-COST/HIGH-YIELD WORKPLACE "STAFF PROFICIENCY AND QUALITY LITERACY ENABLER" (SPAQLE) TRAINING AND COACHING BY PRODUCING AN IN-HOUSE LITERACY WORKFORCE BRIGADE 

SPAQLE ALPHANUMERICS

• Supermarket HR training plan
• 3000 workforce
• 1000 earmarked under staff retention plan
• 100 undergo training 
• 30 selected for literacy workforce group
• 300 coached for 3000 minutes BILAS modules (refresher English)
• 100 coached for 3000 minutes post BILAS modules - Oxford's English for Specific Purpose modules (conversation, email, report writing, presentation, etc)
• literacy workforce group of 100 achieved for an on-going in-house coaching after hours activity
• literacy workforce group of 100 to partake in Supermarket's CSR community outreach programme
• Supermarket's CSR community outreach programme Skim Pembacaan Inisiatif Kelab or spik! as off school's reading club.

[coming soon.........]

LITERACY WORKFORCE - MIND MAPPING THE "SKIM PEMBACAAN INISIATIF KEBANGSAAN

[Skim Pembacaan Inisiatif Kelab or spik! as school's reading club co curricular activity].

This initiative is to train and place literacy coaches (literacy workforce franchise) as reading instructors operating in local primary and secondary schools to provide comprehensive reading support to students who are below grade level in reading.

These eligible post-SPM school-leavers or jobless graduates will be coached and be equipped as Brigade members to run SKIM PEMBACAAN INISIATIF KELAB or spik!, which in turn will see a sharp rise in their literacy skills leading to better employment prospects now that they have been forced to ‘find their tongue’. 

The SPIK! programme works in partnership with district education offices to identify primary school students who are in need of extra assistance. Reading support is provided at partner schools during the normal school day as well as during community support after-school programs.

The initiative offers Brigade members the unique opportunity to gain hands-on experience providing a meaningful service to local children and schools while at the same time earning money to support their upward move in workforce literacy. More importantly this second chance at literacy attainment raises self-esteem and effective communication skills in L1 and L2 using modules for Workforce Literacy.  

Positions could then be made available for reading coaches as well as facilitators who qualify to help coordinate the scheme at each partner school or community centre dubbed as coaching stations.

...AND A SECOND CHANCE FOR INTERMEDIATE MASTERY AFTER SPM

Interventionist measures in educational parlance refer to the duty of each teacher to implement special pedagogic fine-tuning to bring EVERYBODY to par. At its most basic, a literacy enhancement drive to speed up skills acquisition AND PROPEL THE LEARNING SPIRIT. Without language skills, without ability to comprehend text, numbed by passive rote memory info drill, and due to the rush by schools to complete the examination curriculum, most students became underachievers before their full potential could be tapped and realised. With too many educators out there on 'waving paper proof of success' mindset to please both parents and Ministry 'bureaucrazy', the purpose of education is missing. 

The purpose FOR education is also missing. This proof of the pudding claim - a dumbed-down education grading system where almost 70 % of those who obtained A's in English UPSR are either false beginners or functional illiterates. Most in this 70% bracket enter universities with Band 2 MUET(Malaysian University English Test) ranking and remain functional illiterates.
 

Interventionist measures in educational parlance means remedial measures to jump-start interest and desire and motivation to excel by 'teaching reading first', via a competitive, structured literacy programme. Meaning you actually teach them how to read by getting them to do it. Strictly method!

WORKFORCE LITERACY

The road to reading fluency and correct grammar could only be paved using correct linguistic rules and practice and the constant brush with the four pillars necessary to language mastery- listening, reading, writing and speech. If school-leavers who choose to either further their studies or enter the job market are to be given a second chance to acquiring language mastery, it is most effective through a 2 component WORKFORCE Refresher English programme.

The first component is Remedial [BILAS - Bahasa Inggeris Latihan & Ajar Semula] and requires the screening for fluency and correct grammar, the grading or fact-finding of actual student competency level. It is language skills acquisition stage requiring a screening of the four skills. Its test is reading fluency and understanding. The practice is structured along remedial-enforcement-enrichment linguistic sequence, as a Refresher course prerequisite to the Workforce Literacy modules.

LITERACY WORKFORCE 

Post-SPM learners having 'repaired and corrected ' these basic skills will have no difficulty in running the School literacy enhancement modules, with the added impetus from income earned as literacy coaches.

These literacy coaches while assisting in the school literacy enhancement drive proceed to completing the second component in the WORKFORCE literacy, on usage and practice. Or learning English for a purpose modules where the practice target is writing and speech, and is aimed at the minimum, Intermediate Mastery.

These literacy coaches while assisting in the school literacy enhancement drive would have attained enough language mastery, be employable and equipped with language learning habits formed from frequent practice.