How to improve your literacy skills

There are some industries where numeracy skills are vital to roles. In areas such as engineering, economics or science, maths plays a vital role in most jobs.

Troubling, however, is the fact that almost 1 in 3 Australians have literacy at a level that makes them vulnerable to lessor employment opportunities and potentially social exclusion.

Thankfully, there are plenty of ways how to improve your literacy skills either by yourself or with the assistance of qualified educators.

Seek help

There are many organisations that can help you with your literacy skills and if you are looking for help the Reading and writing hotline can help you find an educator nearby.

You may feel you would do better by learning in classroom and this is where a program like SEE could be perfect for you.

If you are registered with Centrelink and an employment services provider, you may be eligible for participation in the SEE program.

The SEE program is conducted by qualified trainers who first assess your ability then tailor a personalised curriculum that addresses your weaknesses.

Remember that poor literacy skills are something that many Australians struggle with and there is nothing wrong with admitting you need a helping hand.

You may feel more comfortable tackling your literacy on your own and that’s fine too as long as you follow some of the basic principles below.

Make a plan

Outline the goals you have and what you want to achieve and think about the steps required to get there. Do you have a specific work goal? Are you thinking of switching up careers? Or do you just want to be able to read the Game of Thrones series?

Starting with a smart plan is a great way to kick start your literacy up-skilling and will help you track your achievements along the way.

Create a habit

Once you have narrowed in on your goals and have thought about the steps to get there the next thing to do is make it a habit.

Trying to stick with a daily target is a great way to build momentum towards your goal and once it becomes a habit it won’t feel like a chore at all.

It could be reading a certain number of pages a day or just learning a new word. It doesn’t matter if it doesn’t take long as long as it contributes to your goal and you can keep the habit up.

Make it enjoyable

Learning doesn’t have to be boring, especially if you are in charge. Try and fit your literacy skill goals around your hobbies.

If sports are important to you, instead of catching updates on TV or YouTube, seek out magazines, newspapers or online blogs and websites that you can read instead.

If you love film and TV, why don’t you watch them with the subtitles on?

Make sure that whatever resources you pick out to improve your literacy, that it is something that you can have fun with. That way it will increase your chances of sticking to your plan and help you hit those goals.

Take your time and don’t rush

While you want to have fun with building your literacy skills you must remember you are still learning and need to be sure to have a pen and paper to take notes.

Anything that you find you struggle with write down. You can then re-adjust your plan to target these problem areas and monitor your progress in overcoming them.

If you would like to see how we can assist with your literacy skills get in touch here: