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Culture, Tourism and the Centre for Education Statistics
Lifelong Learning Among Canadians Aged 18 to 64 Years: First Results from the 2008 ASETS
Unmet education and training needs or wants
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Approximately one third of Canadians aged 18 to 64 reported wanting or needing education or training that they did not take
Sixty-eight percent of Canadians aged 18 to 64 reported that there was at least one reason why they did not pursue further education or training
Family responsibilities, work and work schedule were the most common reasons why Canadians did not take further education or training
Thirty-eight percent of Canadians aged 18 to 64 had not participated in education or training over the six-year period between 2002 and 2008
Summary
Notes
Participation in education and training are an important mechanism for Canadians to achieve their full potential; however, not everyone who wants or needs education and/or training pursues it. Canadians who have participated in some training and who have identified other training of interest to them demonstrate a commitment to on-going skill development and upgrading. Some Canadians – both participants and non-participants – reported having unmet training needs or wants. This section examines the proportion of Canadians aged 18 to 64 who reported that there were education or training that they needed or wanted to take in 2008 but did not and explores the reasons why these Canadians did not pursue further learning activities. This section also looks at the proportion of Canadians who could be considered as being disengaged in lifelong learning as defined by not having participated in education or training over the six-year period.
Defining unmet education or training needs or wants
The ASETS asked respondents about training that they had wanted to take but did not and about training they had needed to take but did not. Having either the need or the desire to take training can be considered as a proxy for being willing or ready to engage in a training activity. Because of this, and for analytical simplicity, the two groups (one with unmet needs and the other with unmet wants) are combined in this report.
Approximately one third of Canadians aged 18 to 64 reported wanting or needing education or training that they did not take
Chart 2.1 shows the distribution of Canadians by their education and training participation status during the reference year and whether they had any unmet needs or wants for education or training. Among all Canadians aged 18 to 64, 15% participated in education or training and reported an unmet need or want, 31% participated in education or training and had no demands for further education, 16% did not participate in education or training and reported an unmet need or want and 38% did not participate in education or training and had no demands for further education.
In total, almost one third (32%) of Canadians aged 18 to 64 reported that there was education or training that they wanted or needed to take, but did not (Appendix Table A.2.1). This proportion was higher among females compared to males (34% versus 29% respectively).
When examined by age group, a higher proportion of those aged 25 to 34 and 35 to 44 reported having unmet wants or needs (39% and 38% respectively). In contrast, a lower proportion of those in both the oldest (55 to 64 years) and youngest (18 to 24 years) age groups reported having an unmet need or want (20% and 26% respectively, see Appendix Table A.2.1).
The proportion of Canadians who reported an unmet need or want for education or training was also associated with the level of education attained. A higher proportion of those with postsecondary education (34%) reported an unmet need or want compared to those with a high school diploma (26%) and those with less than a high school diploma (30%). As shown in Section 1, those with higher levels of education were also more likely to participate in training. Through participation in education or training, the exposure to learning may lead to an increased awareness of knowledge or skills that they may still lack and this may be one factor that explains why the unmet demand for education and training was higher for those with high level of education.
When examined by province, a higher proportion of residents in Quebec (33%) and Ontario (32%) had an unmet demand for education or training whereas a lower proportion of residents from Prince Edward Island (24%) and Newfoundland and Labrador (25%) had an unmet demand (Appendix Table A.2.1).
Sixty-eight percent of Canadians aged 18 to 64 reported that there was at least one reason why they did not pursue further education or training
Thirty one percent of Canadians took education or training during the reference period and indicated there was no further education or training they wanted or needed to pursue. In contrast 68%1 of Canadians aged 18 to 64 reported at least one reason why they did not pursue further education or training during the reference year.
Family responsibilities, work and work schedule were the most common reasons why Canadians did not take further education or training
As shown in Chart 2.2, the reasons why Canadians aged 18 to 64 did not take further education or training varied. The most commonly reported reasons were family responsibilities (27%) followed by need to work (26%), work schedule (25%) and cost (21%). In contrast, a low proportion reported that the reason for their unmet demand was a result of not being able to get a loan (2%), due to a lack of information (4%) or that they didn't have the prerequisite (4%).
Reasons provided for not pursuing further education or training differed between youth aged 18 to 24 and adults aged 25 to 64. Almost twice as many adults (28%) than youth (17%) reported family responsibilities whereas more youth (30%) than adults (20%) reported costs as the reason for not pursuing further learning activities (Appendix Table A.2.2).
Among Canadians who had reasons for not taking education or training, some of them indicated a multiple of reasons, while others had only one. Thirty-nine percent of Canadians aged 18 to 64 reported more than one reason for not participating in education or training, while the remaining 61% reported only one reason. Those who reported more than one reason were asked to provide the most important one2. Family responsibility (17%) was the most frequently cited most important reason for not pursuing further education or training. This was followed by needing to work (12%), couldn't afford the cost (11%), and training conflicting with work schedule (11%) and lack of confidence, interests or motivation (11%). On the other hand, very few people reported that not being able to get a loan, not having the prerequisites or not being able to find the information they were looking for as reasons for not pursuing further education or training (Appendix Table A.2.3). Again, the most important reason for not pursuing further education or training varied between youth aged 18 to 24 and adults aged 25 to 64. The most important reason reported by adults was family responsibilities while the most important reason reported by youth was training costs being too expensive (Appendix Table A.2.3).
Thirty-eight percent of Canadians aged 18 to 64 had not participated in education or training over the six-year period between 2002 and 2008
Engagement in education and training is a mechanism for maintaining and upgrading initial skills as well as acquiring new skills. In addition to collecting information on participating in education and training between July 2007 and June 2008, ASETS also collected information about Canadians' participation in job-related education or training during the 5 years prior to the survey reference period. The ASETS shows that more than one third (38%) of Canadians aged 18 to 64 had not participated in any education or training3 over a prolonged period, from 2002 to 2008, and these Canadians could be considered as being disengaged in lifelong learning. The proportion that was disengaged was similar for males (38%) and females (37%) but varied dramatically across age groups as shown in Chart 2.3. While 18% of those aged 18 to 24 were disengaged, 29% of those aged 25 to 34 had not undertaken training or education over the six-year period. This proportion increased with age and was the highest for those aged 55 to 64 (58%).
Chart 2.3 Proportion of Canadians who were disengaged in lifelong learning, by age group, 2008
Disengagement in lifelong learning was also related to education level. More than twice as many Canadians aged 18 to 64 with less than high school education (67%) were disengaged compared with those who had postsecondary education (30%, Appendix Table A.2.4).
Differences in the proportion who were disengaged from education and training also existed across provinces. The highest proportions of those who were disengaged were observed in Newfoundland and Labrador (44%) and Quebec (43%) while the lowest proportions were in Saskatchewan and Alberta (33% for each province, Appendix Table A.2.4).
A higher proportion of adult Canadians aged 25 to 64 reported unmet education or training wants or needs in 2008 compared to 2002
Results from ASETS can be compared with the 2003 Adult Education and Training Survey (AETS) to explore changes over time with respect to unmet demand for education and training. However, as the AETS focused on the adult population, comparisons are made with the adult population aged 25 to 64.
As shown in Section 1, although a slightly higher proportion of adult Canadians participated in job-related education or training in 2008 compared to 2002 (36% versus 30%), a higher proportion also reported that they had unmet demands for education or training in 2008 versus 2002. In 2008, almost one third (32%) of Canadian adults reported that there was training or education they would like to have taken but did not, compared to just over one-quarter (26%) of adults in 2002.
Have the reasons for not pursuing further education changed over time? It should be noted that since the categories of choices offered to respondents were slightly different across the two surveys, only those categories that were the same can be compared. Among Canadians who reported an unmet need or demand, the proportion of adults who reported costs of training being a barrier to further training decreased from 43% in 2002 to 36% in 2008. In contrast, the proportion of adults who reported that the training conflicted with their work schedule increased from 27% in 2002 to 39% in 2008.The proportion of adults who cited family responsibilities as a reason for not pursuing further education also increased in 2008 (34% compared to 27% in 2002).
Earlier in this section, the proportion of Canadians who were disengaged in lifelong leaning (those who had not participated in education or training over a 6-year period) was explored. Comparisons can also be made over time with respect to the proportion of adult Canadians who were disengaged with lifelong learning. Although a notable proportion of adults were disengaged in adult learning, the proportion decreased slightly over time. In 2008, approximately 41% of adult Canadians had not participated in education or training over a prolonged period of time (6 years), compared to 48% in 2002.
Summary
Almost one third of Canadians aged 18 to 64 reported that there was training or education that they had wanted or needed to take in 2008 but did not. Family responsibilities, needed to work and conflicts with work schedules were the most common reasons for not pursuing further education or training. The most important reason for not pursuing further learning activities differed for youth aged 18 to 24 and adults aged 25 to 64. Training costs were the most important reason why youth did not pursue further education or training while family responsibilities was the most important reason cited by adults.
Changes over time can be examined by focusing on the adult population aged 25 to 64. Compared to 2002, a higher proportion of adult Canadians reported having unmet training needs or wants. As shown in Section 1, the proportion of adult Canadians who participated in job-related education and training also increased.
The most commonly reported reasons reported by adult Canadians for not undertaking further education or training have also shifted over time. Between 2002 and 2008, the proportion of Canadians 25 to 64 years who reported costs of training being a reason have decreased while the proportion that cited that training conflicted with their work schedule or family responsibilities increased.
While education and training is a gateway to employment and personal prosperity as well as Canada's economic growth, over one third of Canadians aged 18 to 64 had not participated in learning activities over a prolonged period of time (6 years). Among adult Canadians aged 25 to 64, this proportion decreased slightly from 2002.
Notes
1. The 38% of Canadians aged 18 to 64 years who did not participate in education and training and who did not have any demands for additional education were asked why they did not pursue further education or training. These Canadians are included in this percentage.
2. For those who reported only one reason, this reason was treated as the most important.
3. This group did not participate in any education or training between July 2007 and June 2008 and did not participate in any job-related education or training between 2002 and June 2007.
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