DEL to campaign against literacy 'gremlins'

A major campaign designed to encourage adults with poor literacy and numeracy skills to ‘get rid of their gremlins’ has been launched.

The ‘Learning Works’ campaign launched by the Department for Employment will feature a series of television adverts designed to encourage thousands of adults to improve their literacy and numeracy skills.

Welcoming the launch, Minister for Employment and Learning, Jane Kennedy, said: “This campaign is a radical approach to addressing the problem of poor adult literacy skills in Northern Ireland. One in four adults in Northern Ireland have difficulty with reading, writing and maths but many are reluctant to seek help.

“My Department has set ambitious targets to encourage 25,000 local adults to improve their literacy and numeracy skills by 2005. It will ensure that learners have access to a diverse range of accessible provision in locations and at times which meet their needs.

"My aim is to provide adults with the opportunity to update their skills and enable them to open new doors to better employment prospects, greater confidence and a better quality of life.”

Families and friends of learners, employers and education and training providers will be targeted in the ‘Learning Works’ campaign, which is due to be launched across Northern Ireland in a series of events at major shopping centres.

As part of the ‘Learning Works’ campaign a series of television and radio adverts will be broadcast in May. It will feature ‘gremlins’ popping up in difficult situations that people with literacy and numeracy difficulties may face such as helping children with homework and filling in forms.

The ads, which have already proved to be extremely successful in England, challenge people to do something about their lack of skills by ‘getting rid of their gremlins’.

(MB)