ROGER SAUVÉ – The People of Cornwall and SD&G – A 10 week feature for the Cornwall Free News – Week 10 – The Education Miracle
The levels of education in SD&G have changed dramatically over the last generation. The availability and the need for higher education have been behind this progress. In addition, the older generation has encouraged their children to continue in school and more of the children actually listened.
For this exercise, we will assume that the older generation is aged 65-74. Among those currently aged 65-74 years, about 42% have never graduated from HS (High School) during their lifetimes.
For another 22% of this age group, HS graduation is their highest level of academic achievement. About 24% have an apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma, or a college or other non-university certificate or diploma. The rest (12%) obtained a degree or certificate or diploma from a university as their highest level of education.
The children of the above group have done much better. Let’s say that theses children are now aged 35-44, which is a difference of about 30 years. Thirty years is a rough approximation of a generation.
Among this 35-44 age group, only 15% have not graduated from HS. This is much, much, much lower than is the case (42%) among their parents.
For about 30% of this 35-44 age group, HS is their highest academic achievement. This is much better than for their parents.
About 40% of the 35-44 age group have acquired an apprenticeship or trades certificate or diploma, or a college or other non-university certificate or diploma. This is 1.6 times higher than for their parents.
The rest (15%) of the 35-44 age group obtained a degree or certificate or diploma from a university as their highest level of education. This is 1.3 times more relative to their parents. The biggest improvement among the university educated has been for those with a university degree above a bachelor, which more than tripled for the younger generation compared to their parents.
What are the income benefits of more education? More employment income for those aged 35-44 age group, who work full-time for a full-year. In Cornwall (SD&G data not available at this level of detail), someone with a bachelor’s degree in 2006 earned 1.8 times more than someone with a certificate, diploma or degree below a bachelor.
The level of education among the 35-44 age group, who work full-time for a full-year, became even more important between the 2001 and 2006 Census years. The average income of those with a bachelor’s degree advanced by 15% between those years while the average income of someone with a certificate, diploma or degree below a bachelor saw their incomes dip by 6%. Similar trends were evident among other age groups.
This concludes this 10-week feature on the people of SD&G. It has been a fun and learning experience for me and I hope it has been the same for you.
I will continue to contribute to the Cornwall Free News but on an irregular basis.
Roger Sauvé is President of People Patterns Consulting (www.peoplepatternsconsulting.com). Roger is an economist and demographer and lives in Summerstown.
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Thank you Roger. Your series has been illuminating and I look forward to reading you in the future.
Your series was riviting. I could barely contain my enthusiam when a new article appeared. I hope your contributions to the web page continues on a more regular rather than irregular basis.
Thanks for all the information Roger. Interesting and enlightening!
Thank you all for your comments. Riveting, illuminating and enlightening are very kind words indeed. I know that not all of the columns qualified as such, but I sure had a lot of fun doing them. Thanks again.
Your research must have been time consuming. People, education pays! Not always in money right away, but you will feel better about yourself with that piece of paper in your hand.
There is so much online education today, find something you like and their will be courses for it.