The Massachusetts Workplace Education Initiative was established in 1986 to create 6 model workplace literacy education programs and later expanded, with state and federal funding, to more than 20 programs at over 40 worksites. The initiative was developed in response to the growing recognition of functional illiteracy in an increasingly complex…

Projects funded during the first year of operation of the National Workplace Literacy Program were examined. Activities included a review of research literature, analyses of data from 29 of the 37 first-year projects, and site visits to 6 projects. The research literature suggested the following elements of successful workplace literacy programs:…