Adult Education: An Essential Element in a Poverty Reduction Plan to Improve Economic Opportunities for Low-Income Individuals and Families. BCTF Research Report. RR2013-02

Part 1 provides evidence, drawing on Statistics Canada reports, that Canadians without a high-school certificate are most at-risk of unemployment, low earnings, and poverty. Young adults are especially hard hit, with significantly higher unemployment rates and lower average earnings than high-school graduates. Part 2 cites research that shows the high-school graduation rate in BC improves significantly after taking into account young adults (20 to 24 years) who complete high school, after the age of 19, in adult education programs. The data also show that some groups of young adults are at much higher risk of not graduating, suggesting they face multiple barriers to attending adult education courses. Part 3 concludes that adult education programs that are responsive to the needs of young adults facing multiple barriers to high-school graduation are essential to reducing the risk of high unemployment and low earnings that contribute to poverty.