Why is awareness about basic skills issues so important?
Resource: EPALE
Awareness about the exact nature of the need for functional basic skills needs also to be raised among a series of stakeholders in the educational, employment, health and social sector. There is evidence of some lack of understanding about the difference between initial literacy (having grasped the principles of reading and writing) and functional literacy (having automatised the reading and writing processes so that they can fully serve their purposes). Stakeholders in contact with the potential target group need also to understand that adult learners are a very heterogeneous target group and have spiky skills profiles. A moderately good level of vocational skills is no guarantee for a functional level of basic skills. Raised levels of awareness and knowledge about basic skills, both among the target group and among a wide range of stakeholders, are an important factor for the success of policy implementation.