Tackling low education levels in the western provinces

A report prepared for the Canada West Foundation points out that the labour force in western Canada has a lower level of educational attainment than Canada overall, and that high school graduates from the western provinces are among those most likely to delay entry to post-secondary education.

The report notes that, with the exception of British Columbia, high school dropout rates in the western provinces are higher than the national average. The author suggests that the reasons for these higher dropout rates include community context, cultural differences, economic choices and geography.

The report, Boosting Educational Attainment in Western Canada, examines a number of educational programs and initiatives for keeping students in school and suggests that the western provincial education ministries improve on their efforts to help students complete high school and enrol in post-secondary education.

The full text of the report may be downloaded here in .pdf format.