2.0

Summary

Chapter Two is presented in 4 main sections.

Profile of the students at Point of Entry (§2.1)

The students had a wide age range with 57% being under 25. Females outnumbered males three to two. Approximately two-thirds of the students were single/never married, two-thirds had no dependents.

The students also had a wide range of work/study activities in the year prior to enrolment.

Almost 40% had last attended school within the last year, but almost 20% had not attended for more than 10 years. 39% had completed Grade 11 and a further 38% Grade 12. For over 80% of the students, this was their first current ABE / College Prep enrolment. The distribution of students across program levels varied with over half the students being enrolled in Advanced or Provincial programs. Approximately 40% were working while attending classes. About half expected financial assistance while attending ABE / College Prep. Of these, 40% expected Ministry of Social Services funding and 22% expected ABESAP support.

Students aims at Point of Entry (§2.3)

Three-quarters of the students saw ABE / College Prep as a very important steppingstone to further education, career preparation or general future plans. Reading and writing skills development rated slightly less importantly, with greater importance placed on increasing math skills. Long-term occupational goals were reported by over 80% of the students. In terms of future plans, well over half intended to be studying full or part-time one year later.

Specific information from the Midpoint survey (§2.3)

Most students knew of the services their college provided, with the possible exception of Special Needs assistance. Students generally rated their satisfaction with classroom services highly. The most common problems encountered by the students were finding a quiet place to study, finance, family responsibilities and work conflicts.