Information Technology and the Performance of Higher Education and Training Systems

Abstract

This study shows that the enrolment rate for the Canadian university system, at 56%, is one of the highest among the member states of the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). This good quantitative performance, however, is not accompanied by a similar qualitative performance in science graduation: only 25% of all university graduates are science graduates – a proportion below that observed in traditional areas (the humanities and social sciences). For computer science graduates, the share is still only 4% in all OECD countries – a paradoxically low proportion in these highly computerized countries. For the Canadian continuing training system, the weakness observable in the quantitative performance (participation rate) is accompanied by a qualitative weakness – the annual average training hours per employee is half the OECD average (31 hours against 64). To reduce the performance gaps between the higher education and training systems, measures are presented which would improve the integration of the two systems. These interventions are considered from the perspective of universities, companies and government.