Participants in the Prince Edward Island provincial dialogue saw education and training as a pivotal topic and a major driver for economic and workforce development.
Participants added that PEI must create a "culture of learning" and challenge itself towards excellence in its formal education system.
Participants called for a redefinition of the notion of education and, by extension, or the education system itself. This, they felt, should include both a review of what we teach and how we teach it.
Participants in the Prince Edward Island provincial dialogue saw education and training as a pivotal topic and a major driver for economic and workforce development. They felt strongly that education and training were key to the province's competitiveness and should therefore be seen as an investment in the province's future, not as a short-term cost.
Many identified the need to redefine and broaden our notion of "education", to better recognize the many ways in which individuals acquire skills over the course of their lifetime, for example through formal education, on-the- job training, life experience or the transmission of traditional skills within families (e.g., boat building). Some added that PEI must create a "culture of learning" and challenge itself to achieve excellence in its formal education system. On this point, many expressed disappointment with current levels of academic achievement in the province (a provincial task force is currently examining these issues). Here, attendees reiterated the importance of addressing literacy and essential skills issues, noting that in this regard, Prince Edward Island had much work to do
Underlying these issues, participants said, were more fundamental questions: "Is our basic premise that the role of education is to get a job? But isn't there more to education? To what extent do we simply want to change education system to make into a human resources system?". In short, participants want education to be seen as "a complete package, a continuum, a journey that is lifelong" and as "an investment in society, not a cost."
Participants also discussed the accessibility of the education system, the need for more trades graduates, and the importance of workplace training.
Dialogue members' reading of the current state of education and of the education system was somewhat critical. Indeed, many felt that the education system is outdated - there have been no changes in the last 50 years - and must do a better job of preparing students for the labour market; students should learn important life skills such as ethics, what to expect from the labour market and work, conflict resolution, working with others, etc. They also indicated that many high school graduates do not have the required knowledge and skills to go to college or university. Credentials are therefore not an adequate indicator of skills, and the number of graduates is not an adequate measure of the education system's performance.