Engaging young people/young adults in literacy, language and numeracy skill development

Between February and October 2009, the New Zealand Council for Educational Research (NZCER) carried out a research project for the Department of Labour on the engagement of youth in literacy, language and numeracy (LLN) skills development. The objective of the project was 'to enhance the knowledge base on the engagement, recruitment, retention and support of youth in literacy, language and numeracy (LLN) skills development'. The project covers four distinct and overlapping approaches: a literature review; the development of exemplars; key informant interviews; and six programme reviews (case studies). These have been brought together in this final report. The project sought to answer three questions about young people/young adults' engagement in LLN: How do young people best develop their LLN skills post-school (including in specific senior secondary school contexts)? What are the different ways LLN is delivered to young people through training and education programmes, and what evidence is there for the effectiveness of these programmes? (To what extent do programmes embed/integrate LLN?) How are young people best engaged, recruited, retained and supported in education and training programmes, so as to meet their LLN needs?