The Daily. Friday, September 7, 2001

Adult education participation in North America

Individuals with relatively little schooling and those with poor literacy skills were least likely to participate in adult education programs in Canada and the United States, according to a new study based on the 1994-98 International Adult Literacy Survey (IALS).

The monograph Adult education participation in North America: International perspectives, available today, analyses 15 international indicators of participation in adult education. It marks the first time an international source of comparable and reliable data on adult education participation has become available.

This study is based on data from the IALS, a 22-country initiative that studied how well adults used printed information to function in society. The IALS also collected information on the incidence and volume of participation in adult education and training.

Several factors found to influence participation in adult education programs

The study found several factors that influenced participation in adult education programs. First, adults who already possessed higher levels of educational qualifications were much more likely than those with lower qualifications to participate. In many countries, the education-related differences were even more important for study intensity than for the overall participation rate. On both indicators, Canada and the United States were in an average position.

The study also found that those individuals more likely to participate in adult education programs were younger adults rather than older adults; employed people rather than the unemployed; those in white-collar, high-skill jobs rather than blue-collar, lower-skill jobs; and people working for large businesses rather than small businesses.

Note to readers The International Adult Literacy Survey was a 22-country initiative conducted between 1994 and 1998. Nine countries were surveyed in 1994, five in 1996 and the others in 1998. In every country, nationally representative samples of adults aged 16 to 65 were interviewed and tested at home, using the same literacy test. The main purpose of the survey was to find out how well adults used printed information to function in their society. A secondary objective was to collect data on the incidence and volume of participation in adult education and training; and to investigate the relationship between initial and adult education; and to investigate proficiency in literacy and to wider economic and social outcomes. This monograph presents 15 international indicators of participation in adult education, which enable the functioning of training markets in North America to be compared with that of other advanced countries. The reference period for the data collection is the mid- to late-1990s, depending on the country. The definition of adult education and training applied in the International Adult Literacy Survey was based on this question: During the past 12 months, that is, since August 1994 (1996 or 1998 for some countries), did you receive any training or education including courses, private lessons, correspondence courses, workshops, on-the-job training, apprenticeship training, arts, crafts, recreation courses, or any other training or education?

The likelihood of receiving employer support varied according to how engaged workers were in literacy practices at work. U.S. workers using these skills the most had a much higher probability (11 times) of receiving financial support from an employer for education and training than those who used workplace literacy practices the least. The odds ratio for Canada was estimated at about seven times.

In Canada, 35% of the population aged 25 to 65 participated in adult education programs, compared with 39% for the United States, and 34% for all countries. Rates were highest in Finland (56%) and lowest in Portugal (13%).

Employers most common sponsors of adult education and training

In all countries, employers were the most common sponsors of adult education and training. American employers scored high on this measure. In the United States, 67% of participants received financial support from their employer, compared with 51% in Canada. The average was 63%.

The likelihood of receiving support from employers was much higher for workers with high literacy skills than those with poor skills. American employers were less likely than Canadian employers to offer training based on the level of literacy of employees.

On average, 10% of participants received support in some respect from government. In Canada, an estimated 17% of participants received support from the government, compared with 7% of American participants.

The training intensity in hours varied significantly across nations. While Canada had an average rate of participation, it scored high on the numbers of hours of training per capita with about 74 hours, compared with 46 hours in the United States. Canada was well above the average of 48 hours.

About 58% of the U.S. employed population and 64% of the Canadian employed population did not receive any job-related training during the 12 months preceding the survey interview. Taking into account the 20% of American workers and 28% of Canadian workers who said they wanted to take training but had not received any, almost half (46%) of the employed population in North America were unlikely to participate in adult education and training.

The major reasons for not taking adult education and training activities were a lack of time and too busy at work, and a lack of money. This pattern was stable across all countries.

The monograph Adult education participation in North America: International perspectives (89-574-XPE/XIE, $10/free) is now available on Statistics Canada's Web site (http://www.statcan.gc.ca) under Products and Services and Human Resources Development Canada's Web site (www.hrdc-drhc.gc.ca/arb).

For more information on this release contact Scott Murray (613-951-9035; scott.murray@statcan.gc.ca) or Robert Couillard (613-951-1519; robert.couillard@statcan.gc.ca), Centre for Education Statistics, Statistics Canada, or Ghyslain Charron (819-994-5559; info@hrdc-drhc.gc.ca), Human Resources Development Canada.

To enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release or other education statistics, contact Client Services, (1-800-307-3382; 613-951-7608; fax: 613-951-9040; educationstats@statcan.gc.ca), Centre for Education Statistics.