Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC)

Summary of changes

Activity on this program started: 1994

Reference period of change - 2010 (pilot survey)

The Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC) is an Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) initiative which aims to collect information on the skills and competencies of residents from 27 countries, including Canada. PIAAC will assess the level and distribution of adult skills in a coherent and consistent way across countries.

Target population - The target population for PIAAC is persons of working age (defined as individuals aged between 16 and 65 years), living in Canada but not in an institution or collective dwelling and, not a full-time member of the Canadian Armed Forces.

Reference period of change - 2003

The International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey was a seven-country initiative conducted in 2003. The International Adult Literacy and Skills Survey (IALSS) is the Canadian component of the Adult Literacy and Life Skills Survey (ALL). The main purpose of the survey was to find out how well adults used printed information to function in society. Survey data include background information (demographic, education, language, labour force, training, literacy uses, information and communication technology, income) and psychometric results of respondents' proficiency along four skill domains: prose and document literacy, numeracy and problem-solving.

Target population - In 2003, the survey population was expanded to provide information on respondents over the age of sixty-five.

Reference period of change - 1994

The International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS) was a seven-country initiative first conducted in the fall of 1994. The main purpose of the survey was to find out how well adults used printed information to function in society.

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