Frontier College Applauds New Literacy Report from TD Bank: Helping Newcomers
Unlock Their Potential

TORONTO , Oct. 1 /CNW/ - Frontier College, Canada's original literacy organization, applauds TD Bank Financial Group for its recommendations to improve the literacy skills of newcomers in its latest report Helping Newcomers Unlock Their Potential.

"Literacy is the key to success and we congratulate TD Bank Financial Group for its leadership in promoting literacy for the well being of both newcomers and Canada as a whole," says Sherry Campbell , President of Frontier College. "The report comes out just as Frontier College celebrates its 110th anniversary of providing community-based literacy programs, including workplace literacy programs, for newcomers and all Canadians with an exhibition at Pier 21 in Halifax , Canada's Immigration Museum, where more than a million newcomers arrived in Canada ."

    
    In Helping Newcomers Unlock Their Potential, TD Bank Financial Group
reports:

    -   The economic well-being of immigrants has declined over the past 25
        years
    -   Immigrants who arrived between 2001 and 2005 currently experience an
        unemployment rate of 11.5 per cent that's costing Canada billions of
        dollars in lost opportunities
    -   Today 35 per cent of immigrant families live in poverty versus
        25 per cent in 1980.
    -   Low literacy levels are part of the problem
    -   6 in 10 newcomers have less than the desired level of literacy to
        succeed in a modern knowledge-based economy
    -   "Increased literacy skills lead to higher employment, higher income
        and better jobs" (p.11)
    

The report calls upon governments to make a greater effort to evaluate existing literacy programs, as well as making investments in data collection and the compilation of literacy program statistics a priority. Businesses are urged to champion literacy by hiring more newcomers, as well as conduct in-house literacy skills upgrading.

2009 marks Frontier College's 110th year of helping people improve their literacy skills to realize their potential and seize the opportunities that come their way. Literacy is an essential skill in today's world. At Frontier College we believe it's a fundamental right. Low literacy skills are directly linked to poverty, poor health and high unemployment. Working with partners, Frontier College is at the forefront of community efforts to strengthen people's literacy skills to build stronger communities. For more information on Frontier College and its 110th anniversary exhibition at Pier 21, visit: www.frontiercollege.ca.

For further information: Frank Clarke, Media Relations, Frontier College, [phone] or 1-800-555-6523 ext. 308, Mobile: [phone], [email protected]