Stop hiring high school dropouts, Alberta minister tells businesses

Alberta has one of the highest high school dropout rates in Canada. (Chuck Stoody/Canadian Press)

Companies can help encourage Alberta youth to get their high school diplomas by refusing to hire dropouts, the province's education minister told a crowd of Calgary business people.

In an address to the Calgary Chamber of Commerce about how businesses can help the education system, Education Minister Dave Hancock said hiring high school dropouts is a short-term solution to Alberta's labour shortage.

"That may sound harsh but couple that with an opportunity for somebody who doesn't have a high school diploma to get one, we can increase the graduation rate of our students," he said.

Alberta has one of the highest high school dropout rates in the country. The most current figures from 2005 from Statistics Canada place Alberta's rate of 12 per cent behind only Manitoba at 13 per cent.

But the dropout rate in rural areas and small towns in Alberta exceeded 20 per cent.

The national average was 10 per cent with British Columbia reporting the lowest dropout rate of 7.5 per cent.

'I think all of us need to be able to say to children, this may look like a good short-term opportunity but in the long term you need your education.'—Dave Hancock, Alberta education minister

Hancock said Thursday that hiring kids who are more interested in making money than finishing school doesn't help anyone.

"It's not a good idea for business to entice people away from school," he said.

"I think all of us need to be able to say to children, this may look like a good short-term opportunity but in the long term you need your education."

He suggested that businesses enter into partnerships with schools to offer students opportunities with mentors or incentives for finishing their studies.

But Heather Douglas, the president and CEO of the Calgary Chamber of Commerce, said there is an urgent need to have people working, especially if Alberta is to remain the engine of the Canadian economy.

"It is of concern to the business community that young people are dropping out to get a $60,000-a-year job on the rigs. On the other hand the rigs tend to mature them, help them find out what they want to be. They go back to school and they are very effective in the workforce."

Douglas said she believes the majority of high school dropouts go back to school within five years.

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