Numbers of Learners
In 2007-2008, Ontario Literacy programs provided services to 39,716 Literacy and Basic Skills (LBS) Learners, while the Academic Upgrading (AU) programs involved 8,389 students for a total of 48,105 learners.

Of this total number of learners, the Anglophone Stream (89% of LBS and 95% of AU learners) served 43,501 or 90%.

More women than men attend LBS and AU programs–56% of LBS learners and 57% of AU learners are women.

Looking at all LBS learners attending programs within all the cultural streams, most learners are in the 25–44 year age group, followed by the 19–24 year age group. Youth (16–18) and seniors (65+) are the least represented of the age groups.

Both LBS and AU programs’ largest client group by age is 25–44 year olds. The AU programs have a younger population (43% under age 24) than the LBS programs (28% under age 24). Older learners are more likely to be found in LBS programs (27%) compared to AU learners.

The Anglophone stream most resembles the distribution by age of all LBS learners in Ontario. The Native stream has a greater percentage of learners under the age of 24 than any other stream, reflecting the overall young population among Aboriginal people. The Francophone and Deaf and Deaf blind streams have the oldest learners in their programs compared to Ontario as a whole.

Sources of Income

In terms of identifiable sources of income, Ontario Works followed by employment income were most often cited, although “Other” had the largest percentage (learners were able to indicate multiple sources of funding). The “Other” category may include individuals on insurance settlements, pension, severance, family or spousal support, Aboriginal band support, etc. Some 26% of learners were employed, while 7% were collecting Employment Insurance, indicating a connection to the workforce.

LBS clients were more likely to be on some form of income support (Ontario Works, Ontario Disabilities Support Program or Workplace Safety and Insurance Benefits). AU clients were more likely to be employed (38%) or receiving Employment Insurance (10%).

*The following statistics are taken from OLC’s publication Literacy in Ontario, OLC, 2009