ABSTRACT

In Canada – as in most other developed countries – students, parents, policymakers, employers, academics, and many others are concerned about a range of issues regarding post-secondary education (PSE; sometimes called ‘higher’ or ‘tertiary’ education). Access to PSE continues to be at the top of that agenda, driven by two principal concerns. First, is a general recognition that, in the knowledge economy, both individual economic success and macroeconomic growth are reliant on the skills developed through PSE. Further, other aspects of social progress – including health, civic engagement, and crime reduction – are also driven by education at the PSE level (along with the primary and secondary levels), even though the precise causal mechanisms remain an area of contention. 1 Second, interest in PSE relates to equity. In a context where it is well understood that for most individuals PSE is a life-changing – and generally life-improving – experience, providing all young people with the opportunity to access PSE regardless of their family background or socio-economic circumstances is one of the pillars of a just and fair society. Indeed, both the prosperity and equity agendas are increasingly understood to come together in a context where equalising PSE opportunities for traditionally under-represented groups – including lower income families, rural communities, and groups such as Aboriginal peoples – is understood to be critical for development.