The purpose of the Environmental Scan is to identify current knowledge initiatives and knowledge dissemination vehicles related to health and adult learning. The Scan focuses on the three central themes of the HLKC and the five priority areas of the AWG. It will include the settings (workplace, community, health care, and families) of the AWG. It will reflect the functions of the CCL. This scan is an update and revision of the preliminary document prepared by Allan Quigley and Budd Hall, with input from the initial advisory committee for the HLKC’s June 2005 consultation.

The scan also includes an appendix of important recommendations for the future and other information generated by participants before, during, and after the HLKC Vancouver Consultation in June 2005. This information includes potential themes and topics that could be investigated by the HLKC, existing research and knowledge organizations that appear to be building relations between health and learning, and reports that could be published on a national basis, etc. While this information is important for future planning, it did not belong in the official scan of current knowledge initiatives and knowledge transfer vehicles.

The Environmental Scan will be updated yearly. In the 2005-2006 fiscal year, the AWG will also conduct a comprehensive State of the Field report on health and learning, and will review the existing literature and state of the field related to adults and health and learning. The report will provide generalizations about the state of the field and report on knowledge gaps among adults