Partnership praised for adult literacy work

A partnership initiative established to help improve adult literacy in the UK has been praised as a model for similar skills initiatives.

The partnership behind World Book Day and Quick Reads has been recognised by commissioners from the Independent Literacy Inquiry for work that has seen publishers, bestselling authors, employers, unions and charities work together.

The initiative enlists publishers to commission bestselling authors to write Quick Reads, which are published annually on World Book Day. These publications are produced by The Reading Agency, which also supports tutors to optimise the use of the material once distributed.

NIACE (National Institute of Adult Continuing Education) has also helped to distribute Quick Reads to both the adult learning sector and the media, and to national retailers to distribute and sell.

World Book Day, now in its thirteenth year, is the biggest annual celebration of books and reading in the UK, and work by Quick Reads has even provided inspiration for similar initiatives in other countries such as Canada, Belgium and Portugal.

Jan Eldred, a literacy expert and advisor to the Literacy Inquiry, said: “The Inquiry is identifying how we need to mobilize more inter-agency working, including the contribution of volunteers, alongside employers and statutory organisations to offer more ‘joined up’ opportunities for people to develop their literacy skills.

“Lifelong literacy networks are emerging as a future recommendation and the Quick Reads model for World Book Day is a remarkable example of how this model works.”

The Quick Reads initiative’s recognition comes as research highlights major challenges faced by adult literacy in the UK.

Because poor literacy skills affect so many adults, it needs the co-operation of many partners to reach those who have not yet been helped by the government’s Skills for Life strategy.

Currently, the UK is 21st in the OECD Human Development Index for Adult functional literacy, with around one in six adults in the UK struggle to read and write.

Meanwhile, the UK has fallen behind in international league tables of school performance – from 7th to 17th in literacy.

Lord Boswell, chair of the Literacy Inquiry, said: “Books are both a gateway to and symbol of an empowered society; and it is a matter of great regret to me that so many of our citizens still have literacy problems which prevent them from enjoying them. As a modern society, we have simply got to tackle this together.”

Mark Astley