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This paper explores the options available to displaced workers and other adult learners in Ontario who wish to upgrade their skills to improve their prospects of finding new work, and considers how government and postsecondary institutions might better serve mid-career adults. In its most recent budget, the Ontario government announced plans to support the development of short-duration credential programs that focus on skills that employers are seeking and that help people find stable work more efficiently. It promised to launch a micro-credentials pilot to promote the development of new, responsive training programs. The report recommends that the pilot be used to test programs that are short, flexible and that lead to recognized credentials that are portable among institutions and recognized by employers. It also suggests that postsecondary institutions introduce competency-based education (CBE) programs, which are particularly well-suited to meet the needs of adult learners with family and work responsibilities.

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In Ontario, provincial governments have historically committed to a postsecondary access policy that drives enrolment growth. The current funding formula rewards institutions that enrol an increasing number of students. Government attempts to address equity of access have focused on expanding student financial assistance, capping tuition fees and targeting incremental funding to institutions to enable them to recruit and support students from historically underrepresented groups. These policies have resulted in a dramatic increase in overall enrolment at Ontario's colleges and universities over the last two decades. Ontario is now a world leader in adult postsecondary attainment. The assumption inherent in these policies was that growth would also improve the equity of access. However, the evidence suggests that it has done little to achieve equitable access for those students who have been traditionally excluded from postsecondary and labour market opportunities. The analysis presented in this paper suggests that it is time to declare victory on growth and focus more intently on ensuring that all Ontarians have an equal opportunity to access and succeed in Ontario's postsecondary system.

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