Lifelong learning

Canadians well into their adult years have also embraced the idea of education as a vehicle for lifelong learning and personal development. Close to 28% of adult Canadians participated in adult education and training in 1997.

The rate of participation in adult education activities did not increase in the 1990s. In fact, a slight decline was recorded between 1993 and 1997. Despite the decline in the participation rate, hours spent on adult education and training increased steadily in the 1990s. Average annual hours of continuing education per participant increased from 149 hours in 1991 to 209 hours in 1997.

Though their level of participation drops with age, Canadians do not stop learning in their fifties. In 1997, 15% of people aged 55 to 64 and 5% of those aged 65 and older were still involved in adult education of some sort, with many taking free university courses or general interest courses. Job-related training is the primary purpose of three-quarters of all adult education.

One theme continually emerges: the higher the level of education, the more the individual seeks educational opportunities in adult life. In 1997, the odds of a university graduate participating in adult education were 7.5 times greater than those without a high school diploma.