7. Adult learning scenarios

7.1 Introduction

In the previous sections we have examined particular aspects of the adult education system – high-school upgrading, ‘second chance’ post-secondary programs, and workplace initiatives – in detail. In this section, we step back and look at how well provincial adult education systems meet the needs of adult learners. We accomplish this task by constructing five real-life scenarios that represent the range of learning needs that low-skill/low-wage workers may have and then determining what opportunities are available to help these individuals meet their needs, in each of our five provinces. Box 7.1 presents both the scenarios we used and the questions asked.

Box 7.1: Scenarios and questions

Nicholas (23) is currently working in a unionized hotel as a doorman. He left high-school when he was 16 and has worked in the service industry for the past 7 years. He wants to improve his labour market prospects by going back to school for hospitality management.

Grace (40) is employed as a clerical worker in a small, non-unionized firm. She enjoys her job, but she and her husband are struggling to make ends meet. She wants to go back to school and upgrade her credentials so that she can find work as a bookkeeper. She has a high-school diploma. At 40, she has over 15 years experience in the labour market.

Pedro (29) has worked for the past eight years in a large unionized manufacturing firm. Until recently, he enjoyed a decent wage and a relatively secure job. Three months ago, his plant closed and he has been unable to find comparable work. He is current receiving Employment Insurance and wants to expand his labour market options by obtaining a trade certificate as an electrician. He has a high-school diploma as well as one semester of college.

Debbie (25) is employed in a minimum wage job in a retail store. She is worried about her future and is thinking about going back to school. She thinks she may be interested in some type of medical technician or nursing position, if she could obtain the appropriate qualifications through college or university. She is a 25 year old single mother of a 7 year-old child. She has a high-school diploma and four years of work experience.

Nadia (33) has been unemployed for 4 months and is currently receiving social assistance. She was previously working as a cleaner in a large firm. She would like to go to college for office administration, but she is worried that her reading skills are too low. She left high-school when she was 16.

Questions

  1. What sources of information are available in your Province to help these potential learners explore their options for skills upgrading (e.g., government websites, service centres, etc.)?
  2. What government supported options does each of these potential learners have?
  3. What are the tuition costs associated with each of these options? To what extent does the Province provide financial support to cover these costs and other living expenses?
  4. What other mechanisms does the Province use to encourage adult skills upgrading?
  5. How do you measure the impact of these options? What proportion of applicants is accepted? Which programs have waiting lists? How long are these lists?
  6. To what extent does the Province collect data on participant outcomes for these programs? Are these data publicly available or available to researchers?