1. Helping your staff learn to read

2. Read Easy UK
is a registered charity, established in 2010 to help adults learn to read
currently has 26 affiliated groups offering 1:1  reading support from trained volunteer Coaches 
provides the structure, resources, training and on-going support for each local group.

3. (Skills for Life Survey, 2011)
1 in 5
adults would not be able to use the index to find a plumber in the Yellow Pages
(Skills for Life Survey, 2011)

4. (Skills for Life Survey, 2011)
5 million
adults in England and Wales have reading or writing skills below that expected of the average 11 year old
(Skills for Life Survey, 2011)

5. £10 billion a year
is lost to the economy because employees have difficulty with literacy and numeracy skills

6. literacy problems cost the public purse anything up to £64,000 per individual over a lifetime.
(KPMG report, 2009)

7. What is Read Easy doing about this?
Your local group is run with support from Read Easy UK:
Confidential, 1-1 tuition
Trained Reading Coaches
Half hour sessions twice a week
Approved local venues
Friendly, flexible and free

8. People can learn to read in 5 months to 2 years
Phonics based programme with additional learning activities
Readers work at their own pace
Adults complete with reading skills that enable them to progress at work and with life
Readers receive a certificate of achievement
Many move on to further learning

9. Some Read Easy groups also provide a one year extension programme to introduce writing skills, called Moving Ahead

10. Why Read Easy is needed
Very isolating – people usually hide their problems and won’t join a class
Few classes can provide 1:1 support and classes have been cut because of funding
Read Easy helps adults read sufficiently well to cope with everyday tasks and to feel confident to progress to further learning.

11. The Top 10 Reading Skills Needed At Work
Understand Health and Safety information
Read instructions
Read forms
Read directions
Find and read information
Read reports
Read timetables, maps, charts, other graphical information
Read staff information on posters
Read technical information
Use reference skills to find and sort information

12. Adults with reading problems are:
able to develop coping strategies, but are likely to make mistakes and are unlikely to reach their potential
likely to avoid training and promotion
twice as likely to have been made redundant or sacked from their first job
five times more likely to be unemployed
four times more likely to experience long-term unemployment
more likely to end up in low-paid work.

13. Some practical and personal barriers to seeking help:
Isolation: “No-one else has this problem; I can’t let anyone else know.”
No access to transport or costs of travel to classes
“I’ll never learn…/ I can get by…”
Concern about job security: “What if the boss finds out?”
Shift work making it difficult to find a class
Stereotyping and discrimination – labelled by others as “thick”

14. Employers can work with Read Easy to make a difference!
Support staff to realise they are not alone and can learn to read
Promote learning and the Read Easy offer
Make it easy - invite Read Easy Coaches to run 1:1 sessions in the workplace during breaks or between shifts  or
Work with Read Easy to identify venues for coaching sessions close to the workplace.

15. What are the possible benefits of your staff improving their reading?
improved productivity
improved customer care
fewer errors
increased effectiveness, confidence and flexibility in your workforce
improved staff retention
improved Health and Safety

16. Questions?

17. What next?

18. Contact
{Name of group} To find out more, contact: Read Easy XXX {Team Leader} {name/ /phone number} To refer a Reader: Read Easy Coordinator {name/ /phone number} National readeasy.org.uk Further details are on the Read Easy publicity circulated today