Adult learning, access through innovation : issues and questions : discussion paper

16 Pages·1993·4.4 MB·English

by  Alberta. Alberta Advanced Education and Career Development

AfDha Ontario
Adult Learning at t he Crossroads
Adult le arning in Alberta is a t a crossroads. Although the
current post-secondary education and training systenns have
served us well, we have reached a point where it i s n ecessary
to change direction if w e are to remain a prosperous society in an
increasingly competitive world.
A number of pressures underscore this need for change:
■ There are increasing demands for more and varied learning
opportunities. Greater numbers of youth are seeking post-
secondary education and adults of all ages need training and
regular upgrading in order to meet the challenge of rapidly
changing technologies and workplaces.
■ Employers need more knowledgeable and skilled employees.
■ Taxpayers are demanding greater accountability and efficiency.
At the same time, funding for adult learning in A lberta is b eing
constrained as the province and the federal government move to
address annual deficits and reduce the accumulated debt.
Setting a new direction must begin with defining goals for adult
learning that are understood and supported by t he people of the
Learning is...
province. These must become the basis of an innovative system,
important to the well-being
of individuals, society and the able to respond to emerging social and economic trends while
economy. In our rapidly
enhancing individual initiative, self-sufficiency and responsibility.
changing economic and social
environment, learning must In order to define this new direction, we have begun a strategic
be a continuous, lifelong
process of acquiring new planning process — Adult Learning: Access Through Innovation.
skills and knowledge to The goal of this process is to increase access to learning
meet new challenges.
opportunities and increase the responsiveness of Alberta's
post-secondary education and training system, while reduc-
Opportunities for adult
ing costs through innovative approaches.
learning are provided by...
the complete spectrum of post-
secondary institutions and As part of this exercise, the Department of Advanced Education and
other education and training
Career Development has initiated a province-wide public consulta-
organizations. These groups
tion process to involve Albertans in the development of a renewed
support activities designed to
help individuals achieve system of adult learning, a system that will meet the needs of the
specific learning goals. people of the province as they move into the next century.
I
Ahoul this Document
In orde r to define a new direction, Albertans must develop a c lear
and compelling picture of the type of adult learning system they
want. This involves looldng beyond tiie current system to d iscover
and discuss new and innovative ways to m al<e adult learning responsive
to the needs of individuals, the economy and society.
The purpose of the ISSUES AND QUESTIONS document is t o begin this T R E K D S
discussion. In i t w e present the draft of a possible mission statement for
Increasing Importance
a new adult learning system, as well as summary information on current of Adult Education and
trends affecting adult learning in t he province. We also pose a number of Lifelong Learning
questions designed to guide, not restrict, the reader in t his discussion.
When considering these questions, please recognize that the issues they Statistics Canada's 1990 Adult
Education and Training Survey
focus on — accessibility, affordability, responsiveness and indicates ttiat Alberta has ttie
accountability — cannot be considered in i solation from each other. highest participation rate in Canada
A decision in o ne area will affect the range of options available in o ther by a dults In education and training
areas. Decisionsonaccess, for example, affect affordability. In t he same programs of all types, due mainly to
way, the responsiveness of the system cannot be separated from the high number in part-time
learning programs and the participa-
accountability. tion of " mature " s tudents. These
figures reflect the fact that the
Your involvement in this process is v ital to its success. school-to-working transition is
no longer a one-time occur-
rence, but r ather part of a lifelong
Please carefully consider the information presented here, then give us
your comments, either in w riting or in p erson at one of the public meet- cOyvcelre . 2/3 of the 1.4 million people
ings we w ill hold this September and early October. More complete
expected to be working in Alberta in
information on the trends in a dult learning and on our current adult the year 2002 are already in the
learning system can be found in t he paper PROFILE AND TRENDS. labour force. Given recent changes
in the labour market it i s r easonable
to assume that an increasing
Albertans have said that education and training are vitally important to number of these adults will seek
their future well-being. We believe that this is t rue and are committed to educational opportunities to either:
involving all Albertans in d ecisions which affect their future. Please • remedy deficiencies in their past
education, or
contribute your opinions and ideas. Help us develop a new direction for
• build on their existing training,
adult learning in A lberta.
knowledge and skills.
Learning is the future. Such opportunities may be Increas-
ingly provided by a more diverse
range of mechanisms such as
employer provided or sponsored
training, time off for learning, or
other arrangements.
MISSION STATEMENT
TRENDS The following is a draft mission statement for a renewed adult
learning system. We would like to hear your opinions on it.
Increasing Pressure on
Resources
Albertans are committed to promoting lifelong learning opportunities
of excellence. These opportunities should be:
For many years, Alberta has provided
m accessible to Albertans;
funding to post-secondary education
tiiat, on a per capita basis, is a mong ■ affordable to learners, employers and taxpayers;
the highest in Canada.
■ responsive to the economic, social and cultural needs of the
Since 1985-86 increases in govern- people of the province; and
ment operating grants have roughly ■ offered by p roviders who are accountable for outcomes.
offset the effects of inflation. At the
same time, tuition fees have in- We believe that the following values provide the fundamental
creased. Revenue to institutions has
building blocks necessary to achieving a renewed system of adult
therefore more than offset inflation.
learning consistent with this mission.
Institutions have had to make produc-
tivity improvements to accommodate ■ There should be equitable opportunities for learning.
significantly increased enrolments ■ Information should be available so that learners can make
over the same period. informed choices.
The link between funding and quality ■ Individuals should show initiative in accessing opportunities and
is n ot a simple one. However, it take responsibility for how they use them.
seems clear that further enrolment
■ Learning should be linked to innovation and the development of
increases, coupled with government
new knowledge.
plans to reduce the provincial deficit,
will result in even more constraint on ■ The responsibility for adult learning is s hared. It m ust involve
resources if t here are no changes
partnerships among students, educators, business, labour and the
made in the way that adult learning
community in order to increase opportunities and to share both
programs are offered.
the costs and the benefits of learning.
The capacity of institutions to
■ Investment in education and training should result in identifiable
continue to respond to fiscal con-
outcomes in t erms of student learning.
straints while maintaining accessibility
will depend more and more on finding ■ There should be public involvement in setting education and
innovative approaches to achieving training policies.
improvements in productivity
In other consultations, such as TOWARD 2000 TOGETHEH, Albertans
have stated that they view an educated and highly skilled population
as key to the province's economic prosperity and social well-being.
Do you agree with the goals in this mission statemenf.
Do the values that are listed here provide the right foundation
for the future of adult learning in Alberta?
Do you have a i^ision for adult learning in Alberta?
ISSUES IN ADULT LEARNING
TRENDS
ACCESSIBILITY
Rising Participation
An accessible system is o ne wfiere Albertans find and participate in and Enrolment in Post-
Secondary Education
learning opportunities that are suited to their needs.
One of the main objectives of the strategic planning process, Participation in higher education is
Adult Learning: Access Through Innovation, is t o work with the generally higher in Canada than in
all other developed countnes with
public to find ways to make adult learning more accessible, an
the exception of the United States.
issue intricately linked to the quality and affordability of adult Total post-secondary enrolment in
learning opportunities. Alberta increased markedly over the
1980s, despite a decline in the youth
population, and enrolment in the
The current growth in Alberta's youth population will inevitably
formal post-secondary system is
result in larger numbers of high school graduates seeking a post-
now at record levels.
secondary education. At the same time, changes in the economy are
creating a need for innovation and creativity in t he workplace and a This highlights the need to consider
a range of factors when attempting
commitment to lifelong learning in the labour force. As a result,
to forecast future enrolment These
more adults of all ages want access to a range of education and include:
training opportunities.
• changes in the public's interest in
higher education
The current provincial policy is t o provide all qualified and motivated • conditions in local labour markets
Albertans access to the public post-secondary education system, • the effect of part-time student
although not necessarily to their program or institution of first choice employment on the length of time
necessary to complete a program
or to an institution in A lberta. However, it i s a growing concern that
• population data, including
some adult Albertans are unable to easily access the learning
changing participation rates
opportunities they want or need. among non-traditional sources of
students.
The current public system of adult learning is c omprehensive in
scope, providing a broad range of programs and services throughout PERCENTAGE GROWTH IN
POST-SECONDARY ENROLMENT
the province. The 1993-94 budget for the Department of Advanced 1980-81 to 1991-92
University
Education and Career Development is $ 1.2 billion.
Full-Time
^ : T he public post-secondary system offers a diverse range of credit
and non-credit programs through 27 post-secondary institutions, Full-Time
^■48%
four community consortia and 85 Further Education Councils.
Approximately 80 private vocational schools are also licensed by ■■■ 57%
*Total FTE (full-time equivalent) includes residential
the province to offer vocational training programs. As well. univeTrostiatile s ,P T EA*th abasca University, the Banff Centre,
public and private colleges, technical institutes,
Alberta purchases student places in institutions outside of Alberta pGrroavpihn c iianlcllyu d aedsm i cnriesdtite r eedn r oilnmsetnittu t ioonnlsy . and hospital schools.
in programs such as veterinary medicine and optometry where
costs and student numbers do not warrant provincial programs.
Finally, approximately 20 out-of-province universities deliver
programs to Albertans, mainly to those already in the workplace.
■ The provincial apprenticeship system currently trains about 25% of
all apprentices in Canada. It c ombines on-the-job work experience
with technical training.
■ The Students Finance Board provides assistance in the form of
loans, grants or training grants to students to ensure that financial
barriers do not prevent qualified persons from furthering their
education. There is c urrently $336.0 million provided in student
financial assistance some of which helps students attend out-of-
province institutions where opportunities are not available in
Alberta.
■ A regionally-based system of services offering career counselling ,
information and worker adjustment programs at the community
level supports Albertans through labour market transitions.
TRENDS
Financial constraints have led in some cases to controls on levels of
Increasing Numbers
enrolment in the current system. However, not all controls are the
of High School Graduates
result of financial concerns. Those in use at most of Alberta's post-
Projected increases in secondary secondary institutions include such things as:
sctiool enrolments resulting from ■ the need to select students with the prerequisite knowledge, skills
population trends alone will lead to
or aptitude for success in a program;
a steady increase in the annual
■ the need to match the number of graduates from a program with
number of high school graduates
anticipated demand in the labour market; and
seeking a p ost-secondary education.
As recent high school graduates are
■ equity considerations.
still the main source of entrants into
full-time post-secondary education, Achieving greater access to adult learning will require innovation and
this projected increase will mean commitment across a v ariety of sectors. For example, private sector
that approximately 18,500 high
school graduates will be seeking training and re-training efforts are low in Canada in comparison to
higher education opportunities in the our international competitors — especially in small to mid-sized firms
year 2005 — 5,000 more than in — and tend to be concentrated among workers who already have
1991. Moreover, greater numbers of
high levels of education and skills.
adults of all ages are interested in
training and regular upgrading to Meeting the challenge of providing lifelong learning opportunities is a
meet the needs of the workplace.
responsibility that must be shared by g overnment, organizations,
This will further increase enrolment
business, labour and individuals. All of us benefit from an educated
pressures.
and well-trained population and all of us have an obligation to
18 -24 AGE POPULATION support learning opportunities.
Medium Growth Forecast Until the Year 201 1
Individual responsibility and initiative combined with effective
partnerships between educators, business, labour, community and
government are all needed to pave the way toward an adult learning
system that can meet society's needs. Together we must find ways
to use these partnerships to meet future demands in t he face of
limited resources.
•1971 1977 1983 1989 1995 2001 20o7
B
Questions
TRENDS
■ How can Albertans ensure that there is appropriate access
to adult learning opportunities?
Shift in Emphasis in
■ How can we match the aspirations and abilities of indi- Income Support Programs
viduals with the opportunities for education that are avail-
able and with the needs of society at large? There are an increasing number of
calls to shift passive income
m What criteria should be used to ensure that learning oppor-
support programs into more active
tunities are s hared in an equitable manner? measures such as support for
education, training and re-
training. This s hift has implica-
tions for f unding and providing
AFFORDABILITY
adult education and training
programs and for allocating
The cost of adult learning must be affordable to taxpayers, learners
and employers. spaces.
Changes to the federal Unemploy-
ment Insurance Act have already
There are two key aspects to affordability: how and where to resulted in the reallocation of a
acquire resources and how to use resources in the nnost
portion of funds to support
productive manner. These issues are particularly important at a
training. The provincial govern-
time when public sector resources are constrained by annual deficits ment has a lso introduced reforms
to provide work experience and
and the large accumulated debts. The province can no longer re- create training and employment
spond tod emands placed on our systems of adult learning by
opportunities for social assistance
providing additional funds: new demands must be met with innova- recipients. In addition, responsi-
tive approaches. bility and f unding for student
support has been consolidated
According to the HEPORTOF THEALBEHTA FINANCIAL REVIEW under Advanced Education and
Career Development to help
COMMISSION, March 1993, "The inescapable conclusion, recog- minimize barriers to educational
nized byt he Provincial Treasurer in his budget update in January,
upgrading and training for the
1993, is t hat the province has a structural deficit, a condition in unemployed.
which expenditures will continue to exceed revenues, even in an
improving economy. Annual overspending results not from a cyclical
downturn in provincial revenues, which might be expected to re-
verse, but f rom an inherent imbalance between revenues and
expenditures which must be addressed."
The province has put in place a f our-year fiscal plan designed to
bring spending into line with revenue. This will require reducing
provincial spending by a pproximately $3.2 billion. As education,
health and social services now account for nearly two-thirds of all
provincial program expenditures, adult learning systems will be
expected to contribute their share.
• Acquiring Resources
The government provides approximately three-quarters of the operat-
ing revenue of post-secondary institutions. Student fees now
account for about 1 1 % of the cost of educational programs, while
other funds are provided by private sector donations, and, in t he case
TRENDS
of university research, grants from federal agencies and other
0 sources.
Changing Nature of
Educational Program
Government has been the major source of operating revenue (public
Provision and Delivery
post-secondary education and labour market training represents
Two main changes are occurring in approximately 10% of all provincial program expenditures in 1993)
ttie delivery of education and
and will probably continue to fulfill that role in t he future. However,
training services. Tfie first is tfiat
the commitment to reduce the deficit when combined with the
alttiougfi, witf) a few notable
demands of other major social programs (elementary and secondary
exceptions, employer-ptoy'M
training in A lberta and Canada is education, health services, social services) and the need to maintain
still low, there is a n increase in the
number of employers supporting the province's $4 billion in assets in t he post-secondary system
training for their employees, and in means that government funding will be constrained in t he future .
private for-profit companies which New sources of revenue and new ways of delivering programs and
offer education and training services
to other companies and individuals. services must be explored.
• Over 500 non-licensed private
training organizations are The issue of acquiring adequate resources for adult learning is n ot
estimated to be operating in just an issue for government. Acquiring resources also affects
Alberta in addition to approxi-
training provided by e mployers. Some, recognizing that benefiting
mately 80 l icensed private
vocational schools. from a skilled and knowledgeable workforce carries certain
• Approximately 4800 student loans obligations, already contribute to adult learning. Others assist in
were made to Alberta students
cooperative education programs or provide direct training and
attending private training
sponsorship. In general, though, employers still rely heavily on public
organizations in 1992-93.
The second major change in the institutions funded by t he taxpayer to provide skilled workers.
delivery of education and training
Students derive significant benefits from their education and there-
services is the increasing use of
fore should pay a reasonable share of the costs of that education.
alternate forms of delivery — both
technical and in p rogram delivery Tuition fees in A lberta remain among the lowest in t he country
For example, most post-secondary despite a recent policy change which allows institutions to increase
institutions in the province offer
fees by a pproximately 1 5% annually. Under the current policy, tuition
distance education and other
alternatives to formal classroom revenue may not equate to more than 20% of operating expenditure.
instruction. At the same time, there
Alberta's student financial assistance programs are designed to
is a n increasing focus on compe- ensure that the cost of education, including actual tuition, is n ot a
tency-based programming, where
learning is m easured by the skills barrier to access. Methods of making the repayment of student loans
and knowledge that students more sensitive to income are being explored.
acquire, as well as other non-
traditional types of programming Questions
such as cooperative programs,
which combine formal classroom ■ How should the costs of adult learning be shared by
instruction with periods of work taxpayers, individual learners and employers?
experience. ■ How should the training and retraining of employees be financed?
I
■ Should students be expected to contribute more to their
education through higher tuition fees? What changes, if
any, would be needed to student financial assistance?
• Using Resources Effectively: Improving Productivity
Albertans will have to change how they use the resources committed to
adult learning if t he number of learning opportunities is t o be increased
while funding is c onstrained. Clearly we have to find ways to signifi-
cantly reduce and slow the growth of the cost of delivering programs
and services.
TRENDS
In the case of programs delivered by public post-secondary institutions, Increasing Demand 0
this means addressing issues such as the cost and use of teaching
for University Research
resources, the re-alignment of programs to reduce unnecessary duplica-
tion and t he reassessment of the roles of the public and private sectors The demand for university research
services has increased. Externally
in education and training. It a lso means that government and post-
sponsored research in our residential
secondary institutions must adopt innovative approaches to reduce costs universities increased from $32.5
and reward effective gains in productivity. Resources must be used in million in 1979-80 to $143.3 million in
the most efficient manner possible. 1991-92, an increase of 341%.
University research — both basic
Currently, most adult Albertans are educated and trained through research, which is d irected at
publicly funded post-secondary institutions which are governed by developing new knowledge, and
legally autonomous boards. At present, these public institutions receive applied research, directed at specific
the bulk of provincial funds spent on adult learning ($935 million in applications — is c ritical to the
development of a competitive
operating funds in 1993-94). Relatively small amounts are also allocated economy through its role in training
to private non-profit or for-profit providers through training contracts, as professionals, scientists and engi-
well as through the Students Finance Board's support of private voca- neers and b y adding to society's stock
tional school students. of knowledge. Universities face an
additional challenge in times of scarce
resources — how to allocate re-
One of the results of this diverse, community-based distribution of
sources, including faculty time,
decision-making authority is t hat an extensive range of programs is between teaching and research.
delivered throughout the province. This has led to a significant number
of programs being provided at a variety of locations in order to maintain SPONSORED RESEARCH INCOME
AT ALBERTA UNIVERSITIES:
local access, sometimes resulting in higher overhead costs through the
A HISTORICAL■ R E$V21I,E20W2
duplication of equipment and facilities and through small class size. Income in T housands
■■ 1984-85 H 1991-92
University
One way of reducing this duplication would be to move toward a greater ■0 1979-80
concentration of specialized programming throughout the province. of Alberta ■^■^■^■■^$^58H^ 63 2$ 81,442
University
of Calgary
However, if w e are to use our limited resources wisely, we must find a
$10,978
way to carefully balance the relative costs and benefits of local access
|HHy34J57
UnLiveetrhsbirtiyd g oef
to a w ide range of programs against the economies of scale inherent in ■■■■ $59,445
centralization.
$331
Total
■1^ M$■ 2i,H3 8H 5 IHI | I$I 95^00
■^^^^■■H $143,272
[$1,511