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Nov. 21, 2006 Ottawa—Nearly 90% of Canadians agree that a highly skilled and educated workforce is the single most important thing Canada needs to ensure its economic future, according to a poll released today by the Canadian Council on Learning. More than three-quarters of Canadians (78%) say that getting a college or university education is more important than 10 years ago, yet more than half also think it is now more difficult to pursue.
Key findingsFull report (PDF, 613 KB)
Canadians identify access as the top priority for improvement in the post-secondary sector, and more than three-quarters worry that qualified students from lower-income households have less opportunity to pursue post-secondary studies.
"What this poll tells us is that Canadians recognize that education and training are necessary to support economic growth and strong communities. They understand what a knowledge society means—and they want Canada to become a knowledge society," said Dr. Paul Cappon, CCL's president and CEO. "This is a message to our country's leaders that higher education and skills training must be a national priority."
CCL commissioned the poll, entitled Canadian Attitudes on Post-secondary Education, as part of its background research for its upcoming report on post-secondary education. Canadian Post-secondary Education: A Positive Record – An Uncertain Future will be released Dec. 7, 2006.
Of Note:
Overall, more Quebecers are satisfied with their post-secondary sector than any other region in Canada. Quebecers are also much more likely to give the sector an excellent or good rating when it comes to providing access for qualified students and ensuring students have the skills needed to get good jobs.
CCL commissioned Pacific Issues Partners, of Victoria, B.C., to design and administer the poll. It was conducted by telephone to a sample of 2,000 Canadians, aged 16 and over, between April 11 and 23, 2006. Poll results are considered accurate to within plus or minus 2.2 percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
More poll highlights and details can be found at www.ccl-cca.ca/pse.
For Broadcast Use
The Canadian Council on Learning today released Canada's first comprehensive poll on Canadians' attitudes about post-secondary education. The poll found that 87% of Canadians believe a highly skilled and educated workforce is critical for Canada's future productivity and competitiveness, and a majority is concerned about equality of access for all qualified individuals. CCL President and CEO, Dr. Paul Cappon, warned that the poll results are "a message to our country's leaders that higher education and skills training must be a national priority."
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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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