In recent years, most provinces have launched important initiatives that have improved their adult education systems. While these initiatives represent major investments and should be praised, this report suggests that provincial adult learning systems remain complex, fragmented, and incomplete. There are significant gaps in coordination, information and counselling, financial aid, employer support and government investments.
In Canada, there is a strong consensus that a publicly funded education is the cornerstone of a fair, productive, and socially cohesive society. Investments in our provincial ‘first chance’ education systems reflect this consensus. There is growing reason to believe that the social and economic benefits of publicly funded adult education would be equally profound. For this reason, we argue that adults should be extended a ‘right to learn’ that is similar to the ‘right to learn’ that is already established for children and youths. We put forward a vision for the adult learning system characterized by the following principles.
Recent research has shown that increasing the skills of the least educated is an important route to increased productivity. For this reason, skills development of the least educated should be as much on the economic agenda as it is on the social agenda.
While a vision of an adult learning system that guarantees the ‘right to learn’ seems to be broadly accepted by most stakeholders, it is far from being realized in practice. How can we translate this vision of an adult learning system into a reality? We suggest the following five steps as essential elements of an effective adult learning system that works for less-educated/less-skilled adults.
In June 2004, Canada signed a recommendation of the International Labour Organization on Human Resources Development with an explicit reference to the right of adults to learn. Federal and provincial governments need to work together to build on this momentum and move towards the development of concrete plans.