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London Council For Adult Education Literacy Declines after Leaving School A new study indicates literacy in Canada is primarily determined by schooling and that it declines with age after individuals leave formal schooling. The direct impact of literacy skills on earnings is substantial. Parental input into their children’s education also has a large impact on literacy. The report, “Literacy and the Labour Market: The Generation of Literacy and Its Impact on Earnings for Native Born Canadians,” is part of the International Adult Literacy Survey Series, No. 18 (89-552-MWE, free), is available from the Publications module at www.statcan.ca. December 2007 Statistics Canada study: adult education
www.statcan.ca/Daily/English/060324/d060324a.htm 1993 to 2001 Around 14% of Canadian workers participated in adult education during the study period, while 8% obtained a post-secondary certificate through it. On average, young men who went back to school and obtained a post-secondary certificate saw their wages increase 8% more than those of their counterparts who did not go back to school. The equivalent increase among young women was 10%. However, gains differed from group to group. For example, increases among older workers, those aged 35 to 59, were restricted to those who stayed with the same employer. Older men who stayed with the same employer while obtaining a post-secondary certificate registered gains in hourly wages that were on average 13% higher than those registered by their counterparts who did not go back to school. The gain among their female counterparts was 7%. Both older men and women who stayed with the same employer recorded superior increases in terms of annual earnings as well. The wages and earnings of older men and women who obtained a post-secondary certificate and switched employers did not increase faster than those of their non-participating counterparts. Among young women who switched jobs, those who obtained post-secondary certificates registered hourly wage gains on average 15% higher than those who did not participate in adult education. Among young men who obtained post-secondary certificates, those who switched jobs enjoyed 8% higher wage gains than their non-participating counterparts. Those who stayed on the same job received 6% higher wage gains than their non-participating counterparts. It is unclear why older workers who obtained a diploma and switched employer did not enjoy stronger earnings growth than their counterparts who did not go back to school. One possible explanation is that the additional earnings they might have obtained through their diploma were offset by the loss of firm-specific knowledge and skills they incurred while changing employers. The study supported previous research and it suggested that workers with high school education or above were twice as likely to participate in adult schooling and to obtain a post-secondary certificate as those with less than a high school education. It also showed that younger adults were more likely to participate in adult education programs. Those aged 17 to 34 were more likely to participate than their older counterparts aged 35 to 59. Marital status was another factor, particularly among women. Single women were more likely to participate than married women, and single women were twice as likely as divorced women to obtain a post-secondary certificate. Note: Adult schooling participants are defined as those who had previously left school and worked for at least a year before they went back to school. In the context of this study, attending school is defined as enrolment in a credit program in a formal educational institution.
Kathleen Wynne, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister of Education, Colleges and Universities, shared the following data that was gathered as part of the Adult Education Review conducted by the Ministry in 2004: • 28% of Canadian participated in some adult education and training activities in 1997; 20 percent in Ontario • 47% of labour force are baby boomers approaching retirement • 25% of Ontario students who began grade 9 may not graduate • 20% of Ontarians are without basic literacy skills • the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation states that 50% of adults returning to adult credit programs are able to get off welfare |