Executive Summary

In May 2004 the Adult Education Review was launched at the request of the Minister of Education and the Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities. The goal of the review was to propose a policy framework for adult education and recommend actions that would not only support but also improve adult education in Ontario.

We elicited the views of the stakeholders in adult education through meetings, through paper submissions, and through a website set up for this purpose. We gathered information on the adult education programs currently funded by the two Ontario ministries and those in other jurisdictions. In addition, we examined the literature in the field of adult education.

Our review focused on the specific programs that help adults access further education and training, gain or keep employment, or participate more fully in the life of their community.

The following programs are included

• adult English/French as a second language (ESL/FSL) courses delivered by district school boards and colleges of applied arts and technology (CAATs)
• literacy and basic skills programming delivered by community agencies, district school boards, and CAATs
• credit courses for adults delivered by district school boards
• correspondence/self-study and distance education courses delivered by the Independent Learning Centre (ILC), which is managed by TVOntario
• continuing education programs, including general interest courses, delivered by district school boards
• adult Native language programs delivered by district school boards
• citizenship preparation programs delivered by district school boards and community agencies
• academic upgrading programs delivered by CAATs

Many of the programs in the review prepare participants for postsecondary education leading to a degree or diploma, apprenticeship training, or bridging programs for internationally trained individuals, although these latter program areas were outside the scope of the review. The Honourable Bob Rae, a former premier of Ontario, conducted a review of the postsecondary system and presented a report, Ontario, a Leader in Learning,to government on the results of his review in February 2005.

On May 14, 2004, we posted on the ministries' web-site the document Adult Education Review: A Discussion Paper, in which we posed the following six questions to stakeholders, eliciting feedback:

Question 1: Is there a need to have an Ontario definition for adult education? What would such a definition include?

Question 2: How are adult education, training, and upgrading opportunities addressing current and anticipated economic and social challenges?

Question 3: What can be done within existing budgets to enhance learning opportunities?