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In many communities, most people we talked with said
their community college is providing for and fulfilling the need for literacy
upgrading.
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Participation rates in fundamental courses at colleges
varied widely – from a 75% uptake to wait-lists. Enrollment in ABE is high
and wait-lists are not uncommon.
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Throughout the consultation, we heard that there need
to be more ABE seats available at the colleges. Administrators and educators
expressed frustration that they aren’t properly funded to meet the demand.
They said the province’s tuition free policy has created problems for the
college system.
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Other educators suggested that wait-lists for their
programs indicate that their programming is working. They attribute increases
in demand for college-based programs to: greater awareness; more people coming
out; less shame around the issue; more positive experiences; more tutorial
opportunities; better assessment tools; more bridging classes (where they can
advance on more than one subject in the same class).
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There is value in offering literacy courses at a
college, because people can say they are “attending college”. They
experience a sense of family and community, build confidence, and feel better
about themselves.
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In some communities the average age of ABE students
is 30 and many are people who didn’t finish grade 12 or who want to
enhance the skills they learned in high school. Single moms, the unemployed,
and people in dead-end jobs who want to upgrade were often identified.
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One college outreach worker said that literacy was
once a big part of his job – but now the focus is on business, industry,
and the community in terms of adult and business skill training. He says the
college ABE program is good but the materials are not accessible to the low
literacy population.
