National Workshop Agreement (NWA) to support Digital Literacy in Canada

The agreement seeks to create a shared vocabulary for digital‑literacy‑related concepts, provide implementation guidance for organizations across sectors, and propose a standardized set of indicators for measuring progress and barriers.

The National Workshop Agreement offers a comprehensive, actionable blueprint for advancing digital literacy across Canada. By unifying language, outlining clear implementation steps, and supplying a ready‑made measurement toolkit, it equips policymakers, educators, community groups and private firms with the means to coordinate efforts, monitor progress and ensure that digital‑skill development is equitable, inclusive and future‑ready, particularly as AI becomes an integral part of everyday digital interaction.

Implicit guiding questions include:

• What core concepts constitute digital literacy and its related terms?
• How can public, nonprofit, and private actors implement effective, equitable digital‑literacy programs?
• Which metrics reliably capture access, skills, inclusion, and impact?

What do you need to know?

The NWA was authored by SETI (Social Economy Through Social Inclusion) on behalf of the Standards Council of Canada (SCC), in partnership with the Digital Governance Council (DGC). It entered into force 24 September 2025 and will be reviewed after three years. This document consolidates terminology, implementation methodology, sector‑specific pathways, and a unified measurement framework in a single, nationally‑endorsed agreement. It also supplies sample survey instruments (Likert‑scale) that can be deployed across jurisdictions for bench-marking.

This is not a formal Canadian Standard but a code of practice that can evolve into a National Standard after expert review. The National Workshop Agreement provides a holistic, sector‑spanning blueprint for defining, implementing, and measuring digital‑literacy initiatives in Canada. Its unique blend of terminology, methodological guidance, and ready‑made measurement tools makes it a practical reference for anyone tasked with closing digital‑skill gaps. By adopting its common language, implementation steps, and indicator set, stakeholders can coordinate more effectively, track progress, and ensure that digital‑literacy programs are equitable, inclusive, and future‑ready (including AI literacy).

Why it matters

Canada’s rapid digital transformation is widening gaps in who can access, understand and benefit from new technologies. The document notes that inequities in digital literacy can lead to exclusion, reduced economic opportunity and erosion of trust in digital systems. The NWA is positioned as a response to these systemic challenges, seeking to ensure that youth, elders, newcomers, Indigenous peoples and other historically marginalized groups are not left behind.

Although the document itself is not a qualitative study, it embeds stakeholder perspectives, stating that co‑design “ensures cultural relevance and respects lived experiences,” thereby reflecting the voices of the communities it intends to serve.

What did the researchers find

Shared terminology – The agreement defines 24 core concepts, each with a simplified and a standard definition. For example, Digital Literacy is described as “the ability to find, understand, create, and share information using digital tools and technologies safely and responsibly.” Similar paired definitions are provided for Digital Fluency, AI Literacy, Digital Trust and many others, establishing a common language for all stakeholders.

Implementation methodology – A systematic approach is laid out, beginning with purpose definition and audience identification, moving through co‑design with communities, selection of delivery models, accessibility considerations, train‑the‑trainer (TOT) models, provision of tools and infrastructure, measurement and adaptation, ethics and safety, and finally ongoing learning. The document stresses that co‑design “ensures cultural relevance and respects lived experiences,” highlighting the importance of community input throughout the process.

Sector‑specific pathways – Separate recommendations are given for the public sector (integrating digital literacy into curricula, workforce development and lifelong learning), the nonprofit sector (leveraging trusted community relationships and trauma‑informed pedagogy), the private sector (embedding literacy in onboarding, CSR programmes and responsible product design), and cross‑sector collaboration (collective‑impact models, shared resources and data sharing while respecting privacy).

Measurement framework – Six families of indicators are proposed: Access & Infrastructure; Skills & Confidence; Inclusion & Equity; Program Reach & Engagement; Capacity & Ecosystem Support; and Outcomes & Impact. Each family contains concrete metrics—for instance, the percentage of the target population with reliable internet, or the number of trained facilitators in a community.

Best‑practice patterns – The agreement repeatedly cites community‑led partnerships, embedding digital‑skill training within existing services, pairing device access with training, hybrid and mobile delivery models, and open‑access repositories as proven strategies.

The framework places AI Literacy and Personal Agents / AI Agency alongside traditional digital‑skill concepts, signalling a forward‑looking view of the skills needed in a world increasingly mediated by artificial intelligence. The inclusion of AI‑specific literacy suggests that understanding of machine learning, algorithmic bias and responsible AI use should be considered on equal footing with basic device operation. The emphasis on cross‑sector collaboration calling for collective‑impact models that bring together governments, nonprofits and private firms suggests that no single entity can close the digital divide alone.

How you can use this research

Policymakers and government departments can adopt the shared terminology in legislation and program documentation, embed the indicator set into national reporting dashboards, and allocate funding for co‑design pilots that follow the NWA methodology.

Educators and school administrators should weave the digital‑literacy definitions into curriculum maps, use the sample survey to assess baseline student confidence and track progress year over year, and implement TOT modules for teachers based on the recommended training‑of‑trainers model.

Non‑profit and community organizations can tailor programs for marginalized groups by following the sector‑specific guidance, partner with libraries or municipal bodies to create hybrid or mobile delivery hubs, and contribute data to the open‑access repository to strengthen the national evidence base.

Private‑sector firms and tech companies are encouraged to embed digital‑literacy components into employee onboarding and corporate‑social‑responsibility initiatives, sponsor device‑access‑plus‑training bundles for underserved neighbourhoods, and align product roadmaps with the AI‑literacy standards to ensure responsible design.

Researchers and academics may use the indicator taxonomy as a framework for comparative studies across provinces or countries, conduct longitudinal evaluations of programs that adopt the NWA, and explore outlier findings such as perceptions of AI agency in greater depth.