2009–2010 State of Learning in Canada: Lifelong learning key to future economic success
Lifelong learning key to future economic success: Report
By Amy Husser, Canwest News Service - March 30, 2010
Canada needs to put more emphasis on lifelong learning or risk being left behind, a report by the Canadian Council on Learning says, suggesting education is key to the country's future economic prosperity.Photograph by: Candace Elliott, edmontonjournal.comOTTAWA — Canada needs to put more emphasis on lifelong learning or risk being left behind, a report by the Canadian Council on Learning said Tuesday, suggesting education is key to the country's future prosperity.
"Canada has made little, if any, progress in lifelong learning over the past several years," it states. "If left unchecked, lack of progress at every stage of life could translate into increased pressures on many sectors of Canada's economy including social assistance programs, the health-care system and the criminal justice system."
These pressures, the report said, will also diminish Canada's future economic competitiveness.
The CCL report — entitled The State of Learning in Canada: A Year in Review — breaks down formal education indicators in five areas: early childhood learning, school-aged learning, post-secondary education, and adult and aboriginal learning.
The study is the cumulation of the agency's findings over the past six years — since its founding in 2004. Since the educational think-tank's funding agreement with the federal government expires Wednesday, the all-encompassing report was then presented to a group of about 25 parliamentarians as a last word of sorts in the name of accountability.
The agency received $85 million over its six-year run, with about half being funnelled to education-based groups.
President and CEO Paul Cappon said while Canadian education levels are strong overall, it suffers from a severe lack of organization, which will limit the country's future ability to compete.
"The expression we use is if we don't get organized as a country, other competitors who are better organized will eat our lunch," said Cappon. "It's because every other country has a plan, has objectives and state their objectives. They monitor if they achieve them or not."
Canada, meanwhile, he said, is "like a country with no report card."
And while the country does well with standardized attainment indicators — for example, Canada's high-school dropout rate has decreased by almost half over the past two decades, falling to nine per cent in 2008-09 from nearly 17 per cent in 1990-91 — it suffers once people move outside the formal education system, Cappon says.
"Lifelong learning means that we learn, of course, from birth until death," he said. "Therefore you need to have opportunities for people to learn at all stages of their lives. We have to have a plan for that — it doesn't just happen on its own."
Skill upgrades in the Canadian workplace are "very, very weak," says Cappon, leading to much poorer productivity when compared to the U.S. and Europe.
"Canadian productivity is poor because we don't spend enough attention upgrading people's skill at the workplace — that's the one most important thing we can do right now," he said, adding that the lack of action in the field also leads to little innovation.
Where Canada excels, says Cappon, is with the K-12 and post-secondary education system.
Beyond a lower dropout rate, more and more Canadians are also enrolling in college and university programs — the proportion of adult Canadians with a post-secondary education increased to 61 per cent in 2008, from 43 per cent in 1993. An increase in apprenticeship participation was also observed.
But, the CCL says, Canada is still "not maximizing the education potential of a substantial number of its citizens." The report suggests opportunities are considerably less for rural, aboriginal and low-income populations.
For instance, only eight per cent of Canada's aboriginal population had university credentials in 2006 compared to 23 per cent of the non-aboriginal population. (They were, however, on a more equal footing for college and trade certifications.) And a 21 percentage-point difference was noted for university-level students from the lowest income group and those from the highest income level.
As its last-ditch effort, the CCL is pushing for the government to identify key priority areas for education moving forward — a move it says is "critical" in a society that is being rapidly transformed by shifting workforce demographics and increased global competition.
"Economics is but one part of the equation that defines the success of Canada," the report says. "The very future of Canadian society depends on our willingness to invest in lifelong learning in all its dimensions."
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Press release
State of Learning in Canada: A Year in Review
March 2010
Overview
The 2009–2010 State of Learning in Canada: A Year in Review report provides the most up-to-date information available on Canada’s learning landscape, and in the process helps contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of how Canadians are faring as lifelong learners.
As in previous State of Learning reports, this report reflects CCL’s vision of learning as a lifelong process. Time and again our research affirms that the skills and knowledge that citizens bring to their families, workplaces and communities help determine a country’s economic success and overall quality of life.
It is this core value that continues to guide CCL’s research and our commitment to fostering a learning society in which all members can develop their full potential as active, engaged learners and contributing members of their community.
This report adopts a life-course approach, beginning with data related to learning in the early childhood years and school-based education through to the formal and informal learning of adults.
Also included is a chapter devoted to Aboriginal learning in Canada which features highlights from the ground-breaking December 2009 CCL report The State of Aboriginal Learning in Canada: A Holistic Approach to Measuring Success. This report, which introduced the first application of a unique approach to measuring Aboriginal learning, represents the most current and comprehensive assessment of Aboriginal learning ever conducted in Canada.
Summary
The Canadian Council on Learning is driven by the goal of fostering a culture of lifelong learning in Canada. State of Learning in Canada: A Year in Review is organized into five chapters, four of them dedicated to critical stages in an individual’s learning journey: Early Childhood Learning, Learning in School, Post-secondary Learning and Adult Learning. The fifth and final chapter is dedicated to Aboriginal learning.
Early Childhood Learning
Learning in the first five years of childhood has critical implications for well-being and later success in school, at work, and in the community—more so than learning in any other stage of life. It involves the development of a range of skills, including physical, cognitive, language and communications, and emotional and social. Early learning is influenced by the quality of the education or care a child receives.
Learning in School
During the elementary and secondary school years, children and youth develop the skills they need to make the successful transition to adulthood. Young learners’ performance in science, mathematics, problem-solving, reading and other competencies is linked to later achievements, such as participation in post-secondary education, better-paying jobs, and more stable employment.
Post-secondary Education
Post-secondary education is the cornerstone of a skilled workforce, which is linked to higher productivity, innovation and economic growth and to the strengthening of communities through higher civic engagement and social cohesion. It also offers widespread benefits to individuals including: higher wages and job satisfaction, fewer periods of unemployment and improved health and quality of life.
Adult Learning
Adult learning can take many forms, including a return to formal education and informal learning activities. Learning plays a critical role in enabling Canadian adults to maintain the skills and knowledge needed to make informed decisions and lead successful lives. Research has shown that individuals with higher levels of education tend to lead longer and healthier lives, are more engaged in their community, and express greater personal satisfaction with their lives.
Aboriginal Learning
This chapter includes highlights from CCL’s recent report, The State of Aboriginal Learning in Canada, which explored the state of learning in First Nations, Inuit and Métis communities across the country. They include updates of standard indicators such as high-school completion rates but also data that highlight new information about how Aboriginal people learn which are derived from new data sources, such as exposure to Elders, use of traditional skills, participation in Aboriginal cultural activities, and participation in extracurricular social activities.
Resources
• Full Report (PDF, 2.1 MB)
• Executive Summary (PDF, 250 KB)
• Fact sheet (PDF, 161 KB)