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December 16, 2005 Ottawa—A Statistics Canada report commissioned by the Canadian Council on Learning contains some good news for Canadians – more and more young people are completing high school. The bad news is that among certain groups – rural and Aboriginal students in particular – high school dropout rates are well above the national average.
The results are based on an analysis of the Labour Force Survey (LFS). In the 1990-91 school year, the first year for which dropout rates were calculated using the LFS, the rate was 17%. In 2004-05, only 10% of Canadians 20 to 24 years of age did not have a high school diploma and were not enrolled in school.
“This trend shows that Canadians are increasingly recognizing the value of learning,” says Paul Cappon, President and CEO, Canadian Council on Learning. “Today, completing high school is the minimum requirement for success in our knowledge-based society and economy. The demand for unskilled and semi-skilled workers is falling, while the demand for ‘knowledge workers’ has almost doubled over the past three decades, from 14% in 1971 to 25% in 2001. Individuals with higher levels of learning enjoy lifelong benefits – they are more employable, earn a higher income, and have a healthier lifestyle. These are advantages for the individual, and for the country as a whole.”
The most dramatic improvement occurred in Newfoundland and Labrador, where the dropout rate fell from 20% in 1990-93 to 8% in 2002-05. Unfortunately, across Canada the dropout rate remains comparatively high in rural regions (16.4% in 2004-2005), almost double the rate in metropolitan areas (9.3%). The dropout rate is also higher among Aboriginal youth and among males in general.
For more information, please see today’s issue of Lessons in Learning on the Canadian Council on Learning’s website, which provides in-depth analysis, including examples of initiatives that encourage young people to complete high school, and detailed tables of Canadian dropout rates.
Dr. Paul Cappon is available for media interviews.
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The Canadian Council on Learning is an independent, not-for-profit corporation funded through an agreement with Human Resources and Social Development Canada. Its mandate is to promote and support evidence-based decisions about learning throughout all stages of life, from early childhood through to the senior years.
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