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Based on a sample drawn from Statistics Canada's Survey of Labour and Income Dynamics (SLID: 1993 to 1998 and 1996 to 2001), the study finds that young (17 to 34 years old) and single workers were more likely than older (35 to 59 years old) and married and divorced workers to participate in adult schooling and to obtain a post-secondary certificate. Workers with less than a high school education who might have the greatest need to increase their human capital investment were less likely to participate in adult education than workers with high school or more education. The study shows that male workers who obtained a post-secondary certificate while staying with the same employer generally registered higher wage and earnings gains than their counterparts who did not go back to school, regardless of age and initial level of education. On the other hand, men who obtained a certificate and switched jobs generally realised no significant return to their additional education, with the exception of young men (17 to 34 years old) who would receive significant returns to a certificate, whether they switched employer or stayed with the same employer. Obtaining a certificate generated significant wage and earnings returns for older women (aged 35 to 59) who stayed with the same employer, and significant wage returns for young women who switched employers. Published summary reprinted by permission of the copyright owner. Show less

Measures of Success (MoS) is a national research project that designed and tested an evaluation framework to assess the longer-term outcomes of workplace literacy and essential skills initiatives in Canada. This final report documents the study and includes revised data-collection instruments based on findings and input from key stakeholders. Show less

In the context of growing concern over skills mismatches and an increasing need for skilled workers, there is continued concern over the literacy and essential skills of working age adults. [The authors suggest that] though surveys since the mid-1990s have shown that approximately two in five Canadian adults score below [International Adult Literacy Survey] IALS level 3 proficiency in various skill domains, little progress has been made in raising skills levels. Although the pool of Canadians needing to retrain or upgrade their skills continues to grow, relatively few adults participate in literacy programs. Among those who participate, even fewer persist long enough to benefit. One reason for this may be that few programs are specifically designed to be part of a career pathway for low-skilled workers or job-seekers. While [the authors'] consultations suggested widespread agreement on the need to better integrate various components of career development-learning pathways, they also identified that current funding formulas rarely give providers incentive to innovate in these areas. In response, some jurisdictions have implemented a strategy known as performance-based funding (PBF). Typically, in a PBF model incentives are set in place to reward achievement of measurable, clearly defined performance indicators. The assumption is that rewarding success will give service providers both the incentives and the means to innovate and improve client outcomes. This report investigates what [is known] about how well PBF delivers on this promise.

[The report is based on a project that]: investigated the current state of knowledge on what works with performance-based funding (PBF), identified key lessons learned, and highlighted promising approaches; consulted with key stakeholders to determine whether and how these promising approaches could be applied to an essential skills training context; and built on these consultations and wider lessons learned to develop a performance-based funding model for essential skills training delivery that can be pilot tested and evaluated in Canada. In this report, [the authors] assess the state of knowledge in terms of what is known about what works and what does not work with a performance-based funding system in the context of employment and training programs.

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This study investigates the roles that financial barriers might play in the under-representation of certain groups in [postsecondary education] PSE. Just over 1,200 students from 12 different schools in four provinces (Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, and Saskatchewan) participated in the study. All were in their final year of high school or first year of [College d'enseignement general et professionnel, or College of General and Vocational Education] CEGEP. They were asked to make choices between various combinations of grants and loans for full-time PSE and significant but smaller amounts of cash. The study varied the amounts of cash participants had to give up to secure varying amounts of grants. The results of the study show that students from lower-income families, those with less educated parents, Aboriginal students, and boys are more likely to take cost into account when considering PSE. The research also indicates that between 10 and 30 per cent of students participating may be unwilling to finance their post-secondary education with loans. Under-represented groups are slightly more reluctant to pursue loans, which may be more a function of a tendency to underestimate the future benefits of PSE. Given the relatively high degree of loan aversion overall, a number of individuals, especially those who have few alternative funding sources other than student loans, may find PSE to be unaffordable and thus not enroll.

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The decision to invest in workplace training, though complex, ultimately relates to the expected return on investment. Part of the challenge for employers and policymakers is that there are few high quality studies that have reliably measured the effects of literacy training or adequately measured its return on investment for employers, employees, and government. In an effort to fill this knowledge gap, the Office of Literacy and Essential Skills sponsored a large-scale, multiyear research project called UPSKILL to evaluate workplace essential skills training. The project resulted in important new evidence that helps establish the business case for workplace essential skills training.

A total of 88 firms in the accommodations and food services sector, primarily hotels, were randomly assigned to a program group where employees were offered a maximum of 40 hours of literacy and essential skills training on-site during working hours, or to a control group whose employees did not receive the training. As a result of the training delivered through the UPSKILL program, firms experienced gains in revenue, cost savings from increased productivity, and reductions in hiring costs that amounted to about $4,600 per participant. When firms are assumed to bear the full costs of training and release time for workers, their net benefit is $577 per participant, for an average return on investment of 23 per cent. Employees also experienced a substantial positive return on investment from UPSKILL training, as they bear few costs under the workplace delivery model. Earnings gains from increased job retention were significantly larger than the modest investment of personal time that participants devoted to complement the on-site training outside of working hours.

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