Learning Through Life sparks interest in Canada Monday, January 11, 2010 - 15:48

Learning Through Life - the final report of a two-year independent Inquiry into the Future for Lifelong Learning - makes significant recommendations that lifelong learning experts in Canada believe can be successfully applied in their country.

During his four-day visit, Professor Tom Schuller has been invited to share the report's findings:

• with Dr Paul Cappon, Chief-Executive of the Canadian Council on Learning;
• at a public conference jointly organized by the Canadian Institute for Adult Education (ICEA) and the Centre for Interdisciplinary Research and Development and Advanced Studies on Lifelong Learning (CIRDEP);
• with the Department for Human Resources and Skills Development;
• with the Quebec Labour Market Partners Commission;
• with Kjell Rubenson, Professor of Education Studies at the University of British Columbia and co-director of the Centre for Policy Studies in Higher Education and Training; and
• at a research seminar on Demography and life course research network, held at the University of Western Ontario.

Professor Tom Schuller, Director of the Inquiry into the Future for Lifelong Learning and co-author of Learning Through Life, said:

"Canada shares with almost all OECD countries two significant trends which should have a major impact on the way we think about education and training. The first is that more people live longer and the balance between older and younger age groups is changing. Secondly, we move into and out of employment in much more extended and complex ways than we used to."

"In the UK these two trends have driven us to produce a new model of the learning life course. A total of £55 billion is spent annually on adult learning, but is distributed in an incredibly lopsided way. Even a small rebalancing of public and private expenditure could enable a huge increase in learning opportunities for older age groups."

"Apart from rebalancing expenditure, there are other suggestions in Learning Through Life that are relevant in Canada. One of them is our proposal for learning entitlements. For example, migrants might have an entitlement to help them settle in. Canada has highly qualified immigrants, but many of them will need both language skills and to find a niche in their chosen place if they are to put their qualifications to best use; a place in a college can meet both needs."