Lou Pagnutti
Globe and Mail Update
It's well known that countries with a highly skilled, well-educated work force enjoy a competitive advantage in the global economy. We also know that a well-educated work force is vital to Canada's continuing economic sustainability.
Corporate Canada has proven it can rally around issues that affect our country's economic sustainability: witness its rallying around climate change. With summer fading to fall and students heading back to class, there is no better time for Corporate Canada to tackle another issue that will affect our future: access to postsecondary education, especially for young Canadians from low-income and underrepresented groups.
Consider these statistics from the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation: While 46 per cent of students from Canada's wealthiest families attend university, only 20 per cent of those from lowest-income families do the same, and even fewer graduate. In certain groups, young people face even greater hurdles: 58 per cent of First Nations people between 20 and 24 who were surveyed did not complete high school.
In Canada, nearly two out of every three jobs require some postsecondary credentials. Statistics Canada reports show that better educated people are more likely to be employed and tend to earn more. They're also healthier, generally. An educated work force is key to work force readiness and vital if Canada is to retain a competitive edge.
Funding is seen as a major hurdle for many students. There are loans, of course. But many young people surveyed don't know how to apply for a student loan — and in some cases, they don't even know such loans exist.
This knowledge gap is creating an access gap. When education is not widely accessible, the effect is to perpetuate, rather than to alleviate, inequity.
Young people in low-income and underrepresented communities need to know that postsecondary education is not only a desirable option, but a viable one, too.
And this is why it's no longer enough for Corporate Canada to take an arm's-length approach to education. We need to do more than merely donating funds and funding scholarships. It's time for us to invest our considerable resources – our people, our time and our knowledge – in support of educational programs.
If we can help take the mystery out of what's involved in moving on to higher education, and if we can provide these students with practical advice and a listening ear, we can make a real and sustainable difference. If we can improve access to education, we can have more people attending postsecondary education and graduating with a degree — increasing the pool of talent available to us and improving work force productivity at the same time. We all win.
The time to act is now. Ernst & Young has pledged to make a measurable impact on education globally, by combining our financial contributions with volunteerism. In Canada, we're applying our training and knowledge-sharing skills in a very real and personal way.
We're teaming with Pathways to Education Canada, a not-for-profit organization committed to helping young people from low-income and underrepresented groups get to school, stay in school, graduate and move on to postsecondary education. We're encouraging our people, especially those who are early in their careers, to mentor other young people who need a hand finding their way. We'll start in Toronto and we plan to expand across Canada in the coming years.
We've also signed on to the Canadian Post-Secondary Access Partnership, founded by the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation and the YMCA. The goal of the partnership is to bring public and private organizations together to make real headway on the issue of postsecondary access.
We hope our actions set an example for others across Corporate Canada. All of us know that when Canada's business community speaks out, we can create change. We've made climate change part of the business agenda. Surely, we can do the same for education in this country.
Lou Pagnutti is chairman and chief executive officer of Ernst & Young LLP.
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