Should education be a issue in the upcoming provincial election?
As a consumer, I have found many of the businesses I've used for jobs I want done have taken an excessive amount of time to complete the work. Having talked to some of the workers and managers, the most common excuse I hear is there aren't enough qualified staff.
With the cost of attending post-secondary institutions going up higher than inflation each year, it becomes harder for people to attend. A lot of these would be students have to travel to a different place other than where their parents live if their chosen discipline or training is unavailable in their own town.
This means they have to rent. The majority of parents don't have the resources to fully fund their sons and daughters, our next generation of leaders.
Many of these students have to work part-time in entry-level jobs. This really taxes them.
If this student works 80 hours a month, after deductions they will only have $800 to take home each month. By the time their rent is paid, they have no money for food. A lot of people who try this end up dropping out because of drops in their course marks or lack of money. If they do get a degree with low marks, they find it harder to find employment in their field. If they are lucky, they'll get a scholarship but unfortunately the number of scholarships available have been in decline.
Yes, we have student loans but is this the ultimate answer? We have people finally getting their degree owing more than they can ever pay back. These people end up claiming bankruptcy. This sometimes impacts their ability to carry on in their chosen field.
I believe it's time for governments, both federal and provincial, and the private sector to examine how we are spending educational resources. Put in the type of programs and resources that will help our youths become the leaders of tomorrow.
As a senior and with only a high school education, I've watched governments both provincial and federal hire non-Canadians to fill top positions. I have shaken my head and asked myself and others many times are there no qualified Canadians? Canada is a very generous nation with foreign aid to other nations.
Canada doesn't seem to do as well when it comes to helping our own people.
Stan New,
Prince George
