October 23, 2025

For Immediate Release (Winnipeg, Treaty One): A new study published today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives – Manitoba finds that public expenditure on adult education is returned to the public purse. “The Fiscal Benefits of Adult Basic Education in Manitoba” by Jim Silver, professor emeritus at the University of Winnipeg. “This cost/benefit research proves what we know: that public spending on adult education pays for itself, and more, by helping families get off of welfare, get a decent job and break the cycle of poverty. Provincial spending on adult education is an excellent investment that pays dividends into the future.” – Jim Silver, report author. 

Main findings:
The estimated benefit for all current 1,100 annual mature high school diploma graduates in Manitoba is $2.65 million. Most graduates leave social assistance, so these benefits accumulate over time. The report finds that the cumulative net fiscal benefits of public spending on adult education are equivalent to the annual program costs. 

1. Graduation from Adult Education programs leads to a decreased dependency on welfare; 62% of surveyed adult education graduates left welfare. 
2. Graduation from Adult Education in the sample led to a 74% increase in full time employment. This resulted in increased income tax revenue for the province of Manitoba. 
3. The incomes of surveyed graduates resulted in earning gains. For example, before the program, 66 respondents earned between $30,000 – $69,999. The survey found that after graduation, 91 graduates (an additional 25) earned in this range. This improvement will ripple through the local economy as well. 

The calculations in the study are conservative, account for attrition, and do not take into account all of the increased cost savings and multiplier effects of adult education in the local economy. 

Methodology:
The research is based on a survey conducted by Probe Research of graduates from five adult learning centres in Manitoba. In total, 292 graduates responded to the survey, a response rate for all five together, rounded off to the nearest full percentage point, of 29 percent. A response rate of 29 percent carries a margin of error of plus or 9 / The fiscal benefits of adult basic education in Manitoba minus 4.83 percentage points, 19 times out of 20. This was a census-style survey, for which every graduate had an equal opportunity to participate. The profile of those who responded is largely consistent with that of the total population of adult learners. “The Fiscal Benefits of Adult Basic Education in Manitoba” is available here: https://www.policyalternatives.ca/news-research/the-fiscal-benefits-of-adult-basic-education-in-manitoba/

 The report will be launched at:The Adult Secondary Education Council Conference, October 23 at 9:20 amCanadian Museum for Human Rights Funding for this report was provided by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council through the “Community-Driven Solutions to Poverty: Challenges and Possibilities” grant held by the Manitoba Research Alliance.About the author:Jim Silver is Professor Emeritus at the University of Winnipeg and a Research Associate with the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives–MB. He has published extensively on poverty, education and housing in Winnipeg, Manitoba and Canada. He is the author of two major research reports on adult education in Manitoba: Unearth this Buried Treasure: Adult Education in Manitoba (2022) and Building the Best Adult Education System in Canada (2022), and editor of Moving Forward Giving Back: Transformative Aboriginal Adult Education (2013).

About the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives – Manitoba:
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives is a non-profit, charitable research institute active nationally since 1980 and in Manitoba since 1997. Research is peer-reviewed.   www.policyalternatives.ca

 Media contacts: Jim Silver [email protected]; 204-294-8574 
Molly McCracken [email protected]; 204-803-0047  
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