FAQs

1. What are Essential Skills?
2. How can the occupational profiles help me?
3. Why can't I find a profile to match my occupation?
4. How can I get more information on a particular field or occupation?
5. Where can I go to update my skills or assess my Essential Skills?
6. What's the difference between National Occupational Classification (NOC) profiles and Essential Skills profiles?
7. How can I get copies of the Essential Skills brochure and other promotional material?

1. What are Essential Skills?

   Essential Skills are the skills people need for work, learning and life. They provide the foundation for learning all other skills and are the cornerstone of lifelong learning.

   There are nine Essential Skills: Reading Text, Document Use, Numeracy, Writing, Oral Communication, Working with Others, Computer Use, Continuous Learning, and Thinking Skills.

2. How can the occupational profiles help me?

   The Essential Skills profiles describe how each of the nine Essential Skills are used by workers in a particular occupation. You can use the profiles to find information on various occupations or to see how the specific skills are used. To learn more about using the profiles, visit the How Can I Use This Site section of the Web site.

3. Why can't I find a profile to match my occupation?

   There are currently close to 200 Essential Skills profiles available for occupations requiring a high school education or less. Research is ongoing to complete additional profiles for occupations requiring university or college education, or apprenticeship training. Once this research is collected and analyzed additional profiles will be made available on this Web site.

4. How can I get more information on a particular field or occupation?

   Visit the Job Futures Web site for occupational information at a national perspective. The site also provides descriptions of work experiences from various programs of study and links to provincial and local labour market information.

5. Where can I go to update my skills or assess my Essential Skills?

   The Essential Skills and Workplace Literacy Initiative supports the development of tools and applications to help Canadians enhance their skill levels. To learn more about these resources, visit the tools and applications section of this Web site.

   For additional information on training and learning resources, visit the Jobs, Workers, Training and Careers Web site.

6. What's the difference between National Occupational Classification (NOC) profiles and Essential Skills profiles?

   NOC profiles are formal descriptions used to explain an occupation using a standardized language.

   Essential Skills profiles are used to describe how each of the nine Essential Skills are used by workers in a particular occupation.

7. How can I get copies of the Essential Skills brochure and other promotional material?

   To order copies of the Essential Skills brochure or fact sheets, please mail or fax your request to:
   Enquiries Centre
   Human Resources and Skills Development Canada
   140 Promenade du Portage
   Phase IV, Level 0
   Gatineau, QC
   K1A 0J9
   Fax: (819) 953-7260
   Email: publications@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca

   Please include the publication number in your request:
   
   
   What are Essential Skills Profiles?
   HIP-010-12-06
   
   What is the Essential Skills Research Project?
   HIP-025-11-04
   
   Defining Essential Skills
   HIP-024-06-07
   
   Building Essential Skills in the Workplace
   HIP-028-03-05E
   
   Living and Learning - Essential Skills Success Stories
   HIP-031-02-06
   
   Essential Skills Hiring Checklist
   WP-031-02-07E
   
   Essential Skills Survey
   WP-028-02-07E
   
   Essential Skills Workplace Check-up
   WP-029-02-07E
   
   Essential Skills Training Activities
   WP-030-02-07E
   
   Essential Skills Kit Folder
   WP-032-02-07