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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
Participation in education and training
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Almost half of Canadians aged 18 to 64 participated in some type of education or training
The proportion of adult Canadians aged 25 to 64 who participated in job-related education or training increased to 36% in 2008 from 30% in 2002
Canadian youth, those with less than high school education and those who were not employed invested more hours in training
Over one-third of employed Canadians aged 18 to 64 who participated in education received support from their employer
Eighty-nine percent of job-related training activities undertaken by employed Canadians were supported by employers
The proportion of employer sponsored job-related training activities taken by employed adult Canadians aged 25 to 64 increased from 88% in 2002 to 91% in 2008
Summary
Notes
Lifelong learning is considered a crucial element of a knowledge-based economy. In an era where technologies and skill needs are constantly changing, Canada's ability to respond competitively rests on the knowledge and skills of its labour force. Lifelong learning goes beyond the preparation of young people for the labour market and recognizes the value of citizens acquiring key competences and updating their skills throughout their lives.
The ASETS captured information on two components of lifelong learning – education and training. Education, also referred to as education programs, encompasses learning activities provided in the formal systems of education, which lead to a formal credential and includes primary and secondary level education and postsecondary education such as university/college diploma and degrees. Alongside education is training, also referred to as training activities, which encompass structured learning activities and includes courses, workshops, private lessons and guided on-the job training but do not lead to a formal education credential.
Almost half of Canadians aged 18 to 64 participated in some type of education or training
Between July 2007 and June 2008, an estimated ten million Canadians aged 18 to 64 had participated in some type of education or training whether it be for personal interest or their career or job. These learning participants represent almost half (47%) of the Canadian population aged 18 to 64. On the whole, Canadians were more likely to engage in training than education: almost twice as many Canadians aged 18 to 64 (34%) participated in training activities such as courses, workshops and guided on-the-job training compared to education programs (18%, see Appendix Table A.1.1). This is primarily a reflection of the type of learning activities that Canadians engage in at different stages of their lives.
As shown in Chart 1.1, participation in education programs decreased with age while participation in training activities generally increased. A majority of young Canadians aged 18 to 24 participated in education, which is not surprising as this is an age at which many Canadians are completing secondary school and pursuing postsecondary education. However, education is not the only means through which young Canadians were improving their knowledge and skills as one-fifth (21%) of 18 to 24 year olds had participated in training activities. Conversely, while participation in training activities was higher among the adult population, a notable proportion of Canadians aged 25 to 34 (19%), 35 to 44 (11%) and 45 and older (5%) had participated in education programs. Adult Canadians who had participated in education programs were more likely to have pursued non-university postsecondary education such as a college or trade-vocational program while young Canadians aged 18 to 24 were more likely to have pursued a university program (Appendix Table A.1.2).
Chart 1.1 Participation rates in any type of education or training, by age group, 2008
Slightly more females (48%) than males (46%) participated in education or training. The proportion of those aged 18 to 64 who participated in any type of education or training also varied by province, education level and place of birth. Overall participation rates were the highest in Alberta, Prince Edward Island and Saskatchewan, increased with education level and were higher for those born in Canada (Appendix Table A.1.1).
Adults were more likely than youth to take education through distance education
While education programs are typically taken in the classroom, distance education is another method of instruction available to education program participants. Distance education offers learners flexibility to engage in education and reduces potential barriers to participation. The ASETS asked program participants whether they took their programs through distance education, which encompasses a variety of methods such as Internet and e-mail, regular mail, TV or radio broadcasting, electronic media such as CD's, DVD's and cassettes, live video conferencing and live audio or teleconferencing.
Overall, almost one-quarter of education program participants took their program through distance education and the proportion that did so varied with age. As shown in the Chart 1.2, twice as many adult Canadians aged 25 to 64 used distance education compared to youth aged 18 to 24.
The proportion of adult Canadians aged 25 to 64 who participated in job-related education or training increased to 36% in 2008 from 30% in 2002
In this section, the focus shifts to job-related education and training among Canadian adults aged 25 to 64 to allow comparisons over time. However it should be noted that almost half of Canadian youth aged 18 to 24 participated in job-related education or training which was higher than the proportion of adult participants (36%). The difference was less pronounced than participation in all types of education or training because not all (65%) young Canadians reported that they were taking their education program for job-related reasons.
Thirty-six percent of working-age adult Canadians (25 to 64 years) participated in job-related education or training in 2008, an increase from 30% in 2002. This overall increase was attributable to an increase in job-related training participation which increased from 25% in 2002 to 31% in 2008. In contrast, participation in job-related education programs remained unchanged at 8% (Appendix Table A.1.4).
Historically the tendency has been for workers of younger ages to have higher job-related training participation rates than older workers. However, the ASETS show that job-related education and training is becoming more prevalent among middle-aged Canadians. Participation in job-related education or training was the highest among those aged 25 to 34 (43%) and 35 to 44 years (42%) and then decreased for those aged 45 to 64 (29%). As shown in Chart 1.3, between 2002 and 2008 the largest increase in participation occurred among middle-aged, followed by older Canadians. The increase in participation was less pronounced for younger Canadians. Consequently, for the first time those aged 35 to 44 have similar participation rates to younger Canadians aged 25 to 34 years.
Previous surveys and studies have shown that education is strongly linked to participation in lifelong learning: the higher the level of education a person has the more likely that he or she will participate in further learning activities. While the ASETS shows the same relationship, some additional insights are provided. While those with postsecondary education had higher participation rates, notable gains were made in participation among those with less than a high school education, increasing from 8% in 2002 to 14% in 2008 (Chart 1.4). On the other hand, among those with only a high school education, participation was similar in 2002 and 2008.
Participation in job-related education or training increased in all provinces between 2002 and 2008. The largest growth was experienced in Prince Edward Island where the participation rate increased from 27% in 2002 to 41% in 2008. Job-related education or training participation also grew substantially (over 35%) in Newfoundland and Labrador and Alberta. In Saskatchewan, Ontario, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Manitoba, participation rates increased more moderately while the increase in participation in Quebec and British Columbia was small (Chart 1.5).
Canadian youth, those with less than high school education and those who were not employed invested more hours in training
The ASETS collected information on the intensity of learning activities through asking respondents if they participated full-time or part-time in education programs and through collecting the total number of hours spent in training for up to five job-related training activities.1
Among those who had participated in education, the majority (63%) had participated full-time (Appendix Table A.1.3). This is primarily a reflection of the concentration of young Canadians who participated in education. When examined by age group, among those who participated in education full-time, 69% were aged 18 to 24 compared to 19% of 25 to 34 year olds, 8% of 35 to 44 year olds and 4% of 45 to 64 year olds.
Education and training participation in Canada compared to other countries
How does Canada's rate of participation in education and training compare to other countries? A recent study released by the European Commission (2009) showed that on average, 36% of adults (25 to 64 years) across 18 countries had participated in any type of education or training, whether for job-related reasons or for personal interest. In comparison, a higher proportion (43%) of Canadians aged 25 to 64 participated in any type of education or training as shown in Chart 1.6.
Participation rates varied across the 18 European countries, ranging from 9% in Hungary to 73% in Sweden. In comparison with the 17 individual European countries, Canada's participation rate was higher than 12 countries and lower than that in Sweden (73%), Finland (55%), the United Kingdom (49%), Denmark (45%), and Slovakia (44%).
When examined by age group, the difference between Canada's participation rates compared to the average across all European countries was less pronounced among those aged 25 to 34.
Canadians who participated in job-related training spent an average of 50 hours in their training activities. This translates to eight days of training during a twelve-month period based on a training day of 6 hours. Males spent more time in training than females (57 versus 44 hours).
When intensity (average hours) of job-related training was examined by level of education attainment and employment status, an interesting relationship was found in comparison with participation. For each of these two characteristics, the group with the lowest participation rate was also the group with the highest intensity of job-related training. For example, when examined by level of education attainment, although those with less than high school had the lowest participation rate, participants with this level of education had the highest intensity of training. And, when examined by employment status during the reference period, while those who were not employed were the least likely to take job-related training, they were also the group whose participants had the highest intensity of job related training (Appendix Table A.1.5).
Over one-third of employed Canadians aged 18 to 64 who participated in education received support from their employer
In the ASETS, employers are considered to have sponsored (or supported) an education program or a training activity if they have done any of a range of activities, including providing the training, paying for the education or training (either directly or by reimbursing an employee), allowing the trainee to work a flexible schedule to accommodate education or training, providing paid time off, or providing transportation to or from the education or training location.
Over one-third (40%) of those aged 18 to 64 who were employed2 at any time during the reference period and who participated in education received some form of support from their employer. This proportion was 50% among the employed adult population aged 25 to 64, which represents a slight decrease from 52% in 2002.
Although older Canadians were less likely to participate in education programs they were more likely to receive support from an employer. As shown in Chart 1.7, almost twice as many employed adult Canadians aged 35 and over who participated in education received support from an employer compared to employed youth aged 18 to 24.
The proportion of education program participants who received employer support increased with level of education (Appendix Table A.1.6), ranging from 28% among participants with less than high school education to 46% among participants with postsecondary education. Provincially, the proportion of employed program participants who received employer support was the highest in Prince Edward Island and the lowest in Saskatchewan and Newfoundland and Labrador (Appendix Table A.1.6).
Eighty-nine percent of job-related training activities undertaken by employed Canadians were supported by employers
The ASETS collected information on employer support for one randomly selected training activity rather than all training activities. As such, while it is not possible to analyze the proportion of Canadians who received employer support for their training activities, it is possible to look at the characteristics of the training activities undertaken by Canadians. From this perspective, the ASETS show that the vast majority (89%) of training activities undertaken by employed Canadians were supported by an employer. Among those who were employed and took training, the proportion of employer-supported training activities was higher for males, those aged 35 and over, those living in New Brunswick, Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador and those born in Canada. In contrast, the proportion of training activities that were employer-supported was similar by level of education attainment (Appendix Table A.1.8).
The proportion of employer sponsored job-related training activities taken by employed adult Canadians aged 25 to 64 increased from 88% in 2002 to 91% in 2008.
The majority of job-related training activities undertaken by employed3 adult Canadians aged 25 to 64 in 2002 were also employer sponsored (88%). Still, this proportion increased in 2008 to 91%. No comparative data exists for the training activities undertaken by the youth population aged 18 to 24.
While the proportion of employer-sponsored job-related training activities increased in general, as shown in Appendix Table A.1.9, the increase was more pronounced within certain population groups. For example, between 2002 and 2008, the proportion of employer-sponsored job-related training activities increased more among Canadians aged 35 to 44 and 45 to 64 compared to younger Canadians aged 25 to 34. The proportion also increased more among those with a high school diploma compared to those with postsecondary education. When examined by province, the proportion of job-related training activities that were employer sponsored increased the most in Newfoundland and Labrador and Manitoba. In contrast it decreased in Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Alberta.
Summary
The ASETS showed that almost half of Canadians aged 18 to 64 participated in education or training in 2008. Although education participation was more common among youth aged 18 to 24, a notable proportion of youth participated in training. Conversely, while a higher proportion of adult Canadians reported participating in training, a notable proportion participated in education.
The proportion of adult Canadians aged 25 to 64 who participated in job-related education or training increased from 30% in 2002 to 36% in 2008. Gains in participation rates were observed within certain population groups. For example, participation rates almost doubled among those with less than high school education and the increase was the highest among those aged 35 to 44. On the other hand, gains in participation rates over time were small among adults with high school education and those living in Quebec and British Columbia.
More than one-third (40%) of employed education program participants received support from an employer while the vast majority (89%) of job-related training activities undertaken by employed Canadians were employer-sponsored. Employer support among employed adult Canadians aged 25 to 64 who participated in education programs decreased slightly over a six year period whereas employer support for training activities increased. In particular, the proportion of employer supported training activities increased more among older Canadians and those with high school education.
Notes
1. Most Canadians (91%) who participated in training took fewer than six job-related activities during the reference period. However, since the ASETS collected information on duration for up to five job-related activities, total duration is underestimated among those who participated in more than five job-related training activities.
2. Excluding those who are self-employed.
3. Excluding those who are self-employed.
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