Canada's education system is strong but need stronger links between high school, post-secondary and the workforce, according to a Conference Board of Canada report released today.
The board ranked 16 developed countries for its education and skills report card. Canada came in second place overall, after Finland.
But the report identified several areas where Canada can do better. The Conference Board gave Canada a "B" grade on rates of university completion, and a "C" for the low percentage of university graduates with science, math or engineering training. Canada also received a "D" for the low graduation rate of PhD students.
"Even though the number of PhD graduates has grown by 3% annually over the past decade, we are still second-to-last among our peers on the PhD graduate rate, and our share of graduates in math, science, computer science and engineering is declining," said board CEO Daniel Muzyka.
The report also found that Canadian women are making a better return on investment in post-secondary education than Canadian men.
Canada is also lagging in workplace training, the report found, with Canadian employers investing far less than their European and U.S. counterparts in training.
"Within the post-secondary system, we must improve coordination among offerings, thereby creating better pathways to workplaces, jobs and careers," said Muzyka. "And Canadian employers need to step forward with increased resources for education and retraining of their workers."
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