Promoting basic skills in the Canton of Zurich
Around 140,000 people of different first languages in the Canton of Zurich are struggling to read, write, calculate or use computers, mobile phones and the Internet, even though they have completed primary school in Switzerland. The new Basic Skills Programme in the Canton of Zurich is intended to counteract this problem with various support and awareness-raising measures.
Since the beginning of 2021, several learning rooms spread over the cantonal area with a pre-course offer have been set up in a first stage of the programme: In a flexible learning environment with spontaneous access, interested parties receive support in written and digital matters if they speak and understand German. At the same time, a specialized and differentiated course program of the EB Zurich is available for interested parties who want to tackle their pent-up needs in the field of basic skills more systematically.
The cantonal programme is embedded in the national awareness campaign "Simply better!" The Canton of Zurich is supplementing the campaign with additional posters at train stations and on public transport as well as with a cantonal online campaign on LinkedIn.
The IF contribution "Promotion of basic competences in the field of integration" classifies the funding measures launched in the Canton of Zurich and places them in relation to GSL offers in the area of integration. The orientation paper is primarily aimed at GDA teachers and those from the literacy sector as well as counsellors.