Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS)

Business Planning

The purpose of the business planning process is for LBS service providers and support organizations to plan and communicate to the ministry how they will achieve their commitment to service levels, service quality standards and continuous improvement targets, in agreement with the ministry, within budget and within the annual business management cycle.

The ministry operates on a fiscal year based business management cycle (April 1st to March 31st). The business plan reflects this business management cycle and includes deliverables and progress indicators to be measured during the fiscal year. LBS service providers must submit a business plan for each service delivery site where LBS services are offered.

Once completed, the LBS business plan will inform the responsibilities and performance commitment targets and deliverables in the LBS agreement. The business plan also provides the ministry with their LBS service delivery and support organization deliverables and progress indicators that will be monitored through discussions with LBS consultants.

LBS Service Provider Site Business Plan

The Business Plan outlines an organization's plans to deliver all five services of the LBS Program:

  • Information and Referral
  • Assessment Learner Plan
  • Development
  • Training
  • Follow-up

Service providers must set and meet LBS Performance Management targets.  In addition, service providers are required to deliver LBS programming focusing on specific goal paths and OALCF complexity levels within communities as agreed at the Literacy Services Planning and Coordination meetings, facilitated by regional networks.

LBS Support Organization Business Plan

Support organizations will include details in their business plan to draw the relationship between:

  • the business plan service category commitments, services/activities and deliverables to be undertaken from April 1st to March 31st;
  • the service categories and strategic priorities identified by the ministry.

As service categories and strategic priorities identified by the ministry may change it is important that support organizations familiarize themselves with the Business Planning Instructions and Templates released each year.