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Tackling adult literacy

  1. What we know
    1 in 7 adult Australians (14%) have very poor literacy. 1 in 3 (30%) are below-proficiency level making them vulnerable to unemployment. Many more struggle with low levels of numeracy.
  2. The impact
    Literacy and numeracy directly impact on someone’s ability to find and keep a job, progress in their careers, manage their health, participate in society, and make full use of services and opportunities available to them.
  3. Who is affected?
    Older people and those not in the labour force have much poorer literacy and numeracy. Indigenous Australians; particularly in remote areas, also have lower literacy and numeracy levels.
  4. Disadvantage and opportunity
    Research also shows that socio-economic disadvantage has a greater impact on educational opportunity than any other factor. With the skills of one generation impacting on the next, improving adult literacy is an essential step out of poverty for many Australians.
  5. The solution
    The Learning Changes Lives Foundation funds evidence-based and targeted community-based education programs that build the language, literacy and numeracy levels of disadvantaged adults.
  6. You can help
    Your donation will help to raise the levels of adult literacy and numeracy in Australia, offering an important pathways out of poverty.