Pilot Project Seeks To Help High School Students Overcome Barriers And Discover Post-Secondary Future
Winnipeg, October 15, 2007 – Acting on research that shows approximately 46 per cent of Manitoba youth do not undertake a post-secondary education, the Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation and the Government of Manitoba announced jointly today that they have implemented Future to Discover, an innovative pilot project to broaden access to post-secondary studies.
The project, involving 1,050 Manitoba high school students, is actively testing interventions to address the fact that career indecision, lack of interest in higher education and financial concerns are most often cited as the barriers that prevent youth from proceeding to a post-secondary program after high school. Approximately 30 per cent of project participants come from families with no history of post-secondary education. The project’s interventions address students’ and parents’ lack of information about the opportunities for post-secondary studies, financial aid options, and the economic and social advantages that a higher education may offer.
“The Manitoba government is excited to participate in a pilot project which supports our belief that educating parents and students about a range of careers and helping them plan for post-secondary education at a much earlier age will help remove barriers to higher education,” said Manitoba Education, Citizenship and Youth Minister Peter Bjornson. “We want as many young Manitobans as possible to continue their studies after high school and experience the financial, health, social and community benefits that are possible when they have a post-secondary education.”
As shown in the Future to Discover Early Implementation Report, released today, the project’s interventions match a student’s skills and interests with various post-secondary and future career possibilities. Future reports will track participants’ outcomes against those of a comparison group to determine the effectiveness of the interventions and whether or not they improve rates of high-school graduation and post-secondary enrolment.
“Providing students with the information and support they need to overcome the barriers to post-secondary education will be one key to the continued growth of Canada’s knowledge-based economy,” said Norman Riddell, the Foundation’s executive director and chief executive officer. “The Foundation is pleased to see that its partnership with the Government of Manitoba has allowed for the smooth delivery of this research project and believes that it will help students make good decisions about their career goals and the types of education required to achieve them. Moreover, it hopes that its research will help policy-makers determine whether or not they have the right tools in place to help students who are most in need of support to access post-secondary studies.”
The Future to Discover Early Implementation Report is available on the Foundation’s website at www.millenniumscholarships.ca/en/research/index.asp.
The Canada Millennium Scholarship Foundation is a private, independent organization created by an act of Parliament in 1998. It encourages Canadian students to strive for excellence and pursue their post-secondary studies. Each year, the Foundation distributes some $340 million in the form of bursaries and scholarships throughout Canada. Since its inception, it has awarded 800,000 bursaries, with a total value of $2.3 billion, to Canadian post-secondary students.
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The Government of Manitoba is distributing this news release on behalf of the Canadian Millennium Scholarship Foundation and the Government of Manitoba.