Gap widens between Windsor-Essex and Ontario population without post-secondary education
While new census data shows the percentage of the Windsor-Essex population with a post-secondary education has slightly increased over 10 years, the differential between the region’s percentage and its provincial counterpart has grown.
The data released Wednesday shows the percentage of people in Windsor-Essex between 25 and 64 years of age who have some post-secondary education rose from 58.2 per cent in 2011 to 60.1 per cent in 2021.
In comparison to the province, 64.7 per cent of Ontario’s population had a post-secondary education in 2011, with Windsor-Essex sitting 6.5 percentage points lower. Provincial numbers rose to 67.8 per cent in 2021, widening the gap between Ontario and Windsor-Essex to 7.7 per cent.
“This represents a significant risk for our community,” said Alicea Fleming, vice president of community impact for United Way Windsor-Essex.
“We have concerns that we’re not keeping pace with the number of young people competing post-secondary education. When we think about the future of work in our community, the sectors that are going to start to boom and the jobs we have coming to our area, it’s really important that we have young people and workers who have the skills to take those positions.”
Much of it has to do with household income, Fleming added, and its link to post-secondary access.
“High school graduation and post secondary education participation rates are linked to household income. The data supports this and we know this to be true,” she said.
While the United Way has previously said 1 in 7 children in Windsor-Essex live in poverty, Fleming said the number increases to 1 in 3 specifically in west Windsor, downtown Windsor and Leamington where more people live in low-income housing.
According to data, researcher Frazier Fathers, there are historical reasons as to why Windsor-Essex has traditionally lagged behind the province for those seeking post-secondary education.
“For a long time, you could walk out of high school, get a good paying job at one of the Big 3. Some of them are still there .They’re at the back end of that 64-year-old age group. So they’re still captured in that data,” said Fathers.
With many of those individuals retiring, Fathers said upper levels of government need to further incentivize getting young people into skilled trade programs.
According to Statistics Canada, the number of “working-age apprenticeship certificate holders” stagnated or fell in construction trades, mechanics and repair technologies between 2016 and 2021.
“But I also think there are these big system challenges that are bigger than what can be tackled locally … There’s a lot things that can be taken away from this data,” said Fathers.
“We have a lower educational attainment rate for a portion of our population. We have higher low-income rates. We have growing inequality in our community from an income perspective. There's a thread there.”
The United Way adds access to post-secondary education is made more difficult by the fact that Ontario’s average tuition rates are about $1,500 higher than the national average.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.