Given the well-established benefits of secondary education, it is hard to see why we would treat its provision to those over the age of 18 differently from how we treat its provision to those under the age of 18. At a minimum, high-school-related skills-upgrading programs should be free to all individuals regardless of age. This is currently not the case in all provinces. In addition, we argue that the special circumstances of adult learners should be recognized. Given that adult learners are often involved in providing care and financial support for other family members, their participation in skills upgrading is often not feasible unless they are provided with a minimal level of financial assistance to help them meet basic living expenses.
With respect to accessing educational institutions beyond high-school, our analysis has shown that the rules of federal and provincial financial aid systems do not work well for adult learners. Most colleges and some universities have flexible admission policies for mature students, as well as a commitment to recognizing prior learning. While these policies are a step in the right direction, for many individuals, the financial barriers to participation are simply too high. The post-secondary student aid systems should be reviewed to ensure all adults have access to a reasonable combination of student loans and grants. In addition, given that part-time study may be the best option for many adults, post-secondary institutions should be encouraged to ensure that the widest possible range of programs allow part-time study.
Canada has much lower rates of participation in job-related training than several other advanced nations, including the United States. The problem of how to encourage firms to provide more training is extremely complex. Part of the problem is that Canada’s economy is dominated by small- to medium-sized firms that simply do not have the economies of scale to implement custom-designed employee training programs. Other problems include structural and institutional issues such as lack of information and the difficulty of calculating return on investment. Over the last decade, the Conference Board of Canada has done important work in this area. Through a series of case studies and other types of evaluation research, the Board has developed a business case for the provision of employer-supported training which highlights a number of benefits including increased productivity, reduced error rates, a better health and safety record, and increased customer and employee retention. The Conference Board has also developed a series of ‘how to’ toolkits for employers who want to launch skills development projects but are unsure of how to do so.
On a positive note, the Conference Board’s research program showcases a number of Canadian firms that are leaders in providing workplace literacy and skills-upgrading programs to lesseducated workers. In addition, there are a handful of initiatives at both the federal level (e.g., the Sector Council Program) and the provincial level (both Nova Scotia and Alberta have workplace skills development programs and Québec has a “Commission des partenaires du marché du travail” and “Comités sectoriels de main d’oeuvre”) that bring together labour market partners to work on solutions to skills-upgrading problems. While most of these initiatives are relatively new, early indications suggest that many structural and institutional barriers can be overcome and that more firms can and will benefit from increased investments in skills development. The emergence of these new ‘labour market arrangements’ is an important development that should be closely monitored to ensure that these initiatives play a significant role in upgrading the skills of the less educated.