Adult learning and training rates in B.C. surpass rest of Canada, UBC study finds

A significantly higher number of British Columbians are participating
in adult education and training programs than were a decade ago,
UBC researchers say.

Compared to previous Statistics Canada figures measuring adults’
participation in education and training, the rate of increase in
B.C. is more than double the rate for Canada.

“This likely reflects the faster economic growth in the province,
but may also reflect growth in commitment to adult learning in B.C.
relative to Canada overall,” says Kjell Rubenson, a professor in
Educational Studies.

Rubenson and doctoral student Gong-Li Xu recently completed an
analysis of Statisics Canada’s 1994 Adult Education and Training
Survey (AETS), the fifth in a series of questionnaires initiated
in 1986.

More than 47,000 Canadian households were sampled for the 1994
AETS, 4,231 of them in B.C.

“Our analysis shows that the highest participation rates in adult
education and training were associated with those with a university
education, an income over $50,000, a white-collar occupation and
working for large employers like public administration, health care
and education,” the researchers report.

They also note, however, that once disadvantaged groups are recruited
to education and training, the chance that they will return for
further programs increases.

The survey revealed that 58 per cent of participants in any form
of adult education and training received employer support. Overall,
26 per cent of people employed in B.C. received some employer-supported
training or education.

Employed workers with a university degree received the greatest
amount of employer support at 40 per cent, compared to 30 per cent
of those with a post secondary diploma or certificate and only 10
per cent of employees with less than a high school diploma.

Levels of interest in lifelong learning, based on socialization
at home, school and work, and structural disparities in society
at large may help explain the inequalities that exist between groups,
the researchers say.

Their report also states that better educated employees may engage
in education and training programs more frequently because their
jobs provide direct opportunities to do so and encourage them to
invest in their own development.

Despite the increased emphasis on an industry-led workforce to
increase Canada’s competitiveness in the global economy, and greater
participation in adult education and training programs, the report
cautions public policy makers and employers against focusing on
merely supplying a skilled labour market.

“It is not enough to increase the extent of human resource development
in the labour force, or to make existing education and training
programs more relevant,” the report states.

“It is also necessary to overcome the minimalist approach to the
utilization of workers’ skills. The real problem might be ensuring
the skills are used and developed at work, rather than simply concentrating
on supply.”

The study was conducted under the auspices of the Faculty of Education’s
Centre for Policy Studies in Education with funding from the B.C.
Ministry of Education, Skills and Training. The complete report
is available on the Internet at http://www.ceiss.org/randa/welcome.htm

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