Quesnel, British Columbia
Driver Education Preparation Project (DEPP)
Project Lead: Rebecca Beuschel, Literacy Quesnel Society
Quesnel is a city of about 23,000 in central BC, between Williams Lake and Prince George. It was a forest industry town, but with mill closures and industry slow downs, the economy is diversifying.
Literacy Quesnel and WorkBC observed an increasing interest from clients wanting to obtain different levels of driving licenses because the licenses introduce an array of job opportunities, such as working for the City of Quesnel, the local road maintenance company, logging and mining companies, delivery companies, and even School District 28, as the demand for bus drivers increases.
The Driver Education Preparation Project (DEPP) helped participants learn the content they needed to know to complete the driver learners’ test. Many adults who were not working, or who have been displaced from industry-based jobs, were interested in earning a Class 3 or a Class 1 driver’s license, but their ability to successfully complete the written test was hampered by their low literacy skills, comprehension skills, inexperience with test writing, computer literacy or a combination of these factors.
Most of the adults in DEPP had their Class 5 license, but in some instances, DEPP also helped participants prepare for that test. The project focused on small group learning in response to COVID-19 restrictions. This allowed for group work, skill building, discussion, role play and exploration of the knowledge needed to pass the test.
The spin-off effects of DEPP will result in potential increases in participants’ job readiness, computer literacy skills, abilities to work in a group setting, self-directed study techniques and confidence building skills.
Updates
- This beta-test site has developed and shared curricula for their training delivery.
- This project has been selected to continue to the Pilot Test phase of this project.