Of particular concern is the whole debate around women's entry into non-traditional occupations. Many jobs which are non-traditional for women are also disappearing, particularly those in the primary (resource-based) or secondary (manufacturing) sectors of the economy. The service sector where women are already concentrated is in fact where the most new jobs are expected to emerge. The problem is that, within the service sector, women are concentrated in low quality jobs that is, jobs characterized by low pay, few benefits, insecurity of tenure, vulnerability to technological change, and poor or stressful working conditions. The basic issue then, is one of quality of jobs. A low quality job in a non-traditional sector is no better than a low quality job in a traditional sector, and may in fact be worse because of the isolation and absence of support systems which many women experience in non-traditional occupations. Training of women for high quality jobs in non-traditional areas such as in computers, communications and advanced office automation must go hand-in-hand with a revaluing and restructuring of jobs in traditional sectors so that women have access to high quality jobs across all sectors of the economy. The two must go hand-in-hand because training itself does not create jobs, except for the trainers. Under current conditions, there are not enough high-quality jobs for all those who seek to fill them. This trend is expected to continue (21).

The emerging picture is one of a small, high-wage core of people with secure and interesting jobs, surrounded by a much larger periphery of poorly-paid people with little security and virtually no control over their economic lives. Although some research is beginning to be done in this area, policies have not yet begun to grapple seriously with ways to alter this emerging picture of employment patterns. There is no clear acknowledgment of the critical role of education and training in reducing or eliminating the distance between the core and the periphery, nor is there any explicit sign of emerging commitment to a new 'social contract' one which holds that restructuring of jobs will be necessary if the few are not to prosper at the expense of the many.

It is important to reiterate that these vacuums in the discussion around public policy with respect to job-related training are not created by an absolute lack of will on the part of governments, although they may well be exacerbated by a certain lack of courage. Politicians and bureaucrats are aware that the world is changing and do want to do something about it. However, there is a real lack of vision concerning alternatives. As we noted earlier, structural rigidities provide some strong disincentives to the whole visioning process. The result, as one interviewee said, is that "We're moving the deck chairs around on the Titanic.

3.1.4 The Doubly Disadvantaged

Women are already disadvantaged within the formal economy. Those who are poor, have low education levels, are disabled, are immigrants, are native people, or live in geographically isolated areas carry a double disadvantage.

One area where political will may be lacking is with respect to those who experience particular disadvantages in entering the labour market. Although literacy, the need for basic education, and the need for improved access to language and occupational training for immigrant women are becoming more visible problems, total resources allocated to educational programs addressing these areas remain minute. Although the federal government, through Canadian Jobs Strategy has demonstrated a commendable commitment in principle to the disadvantaged, entrance criteria and program structures make it difficult for even the most dedicated program sponsors to be of significant assistance. Further, there is some evidence that, as the federal government increasingly acknowledges the needs of the doubly disadvantaged in its programs, provincial governments are pulling back. The result is likely, at best, to be the same with respect to total resources in this area. Historically local school boards' Continuing Education programs and the occasional community college have done the most work in these areas, despite a lack of financial incentive. Now, cutbacks and changes in the structure of funding mean that there are significant disincentives to continued sponsorship of literacy and ESL programs in many locations. Because of the locally-based nature of most programs, the problem tends not to be identified as a general one. Educators working in these areas often feel isolated and frustrated in their efforts to convince colleagues that the severely disadvantaged ought to be a priority (22). There is a critical role for organizations like CCLOW to play not only with respect to advocacy at the public policy level, but also with consciousness-raising and networking among those working in educational institutions and organizations across the country. CCLOW's recent participation (January 1987) in the signing of the Cedar Glen Declaration on literacy is one important initiative in this area.