Continuing education allows you to stay current with the latest technologies, improve your knowledge and skills, and increase your employment opportunities. It can also help you graduate from high school or continue your education after high school. More and more adults are going back to school to get a degree, a diploma, a career change, or simply to further their interests.

You can study day or night, in class or remotely, online through e-learning or other messaging options. With today’s technology, there are a variety of program and resource options.

Reasons to go back to school

• For your career
• Develop knowledge and skills.
• Increase job opportunities.
• Change job
• Get a promotion
• Update or develop new skills
• Improve your professionalism
• Stay on top of technology and industry trends
• Turn interests into professional skills
• Get the tools you need to weather the recession
• Grow your professional network
• Improve your academic performance
• Get your high school diploma
• Improve basic reading skills
• Earn college credit
• Repeat courses to improve your academic Grade Point Average (GPA)
• Eligible for an academic scholarship.

For you

• Discover new interests
• Better understanding of the different topics
• Meet new people and expand your network
• Commitment to your community
• A better understanding of the issues that affect you and your community
• Raise your self-esteem.

Earn your high school diploma

Having a high school diploma increases your job prospects and helps you earn more money. You can choose to study part-time or full-time, day or night, in class or at home, for as long as you like. Classes can be free or low cost. Courses can be offered through:

• High schools
• Adult education centers.
• Community Colleges or CEGEP.
• School board or your local school board
• Online, by mail, or through distance learning institutions
• Community service organizations.

If you choose to earn a high school diploma from a school board, check to see if the courses you’ve taken or the work experience you’ve taken can be considered “equivalent” to high school credits. This can reduce the number of courses you need to graduate.

Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition

The Early Learning and Recognition Assessment (ERA) helps adults demonstrate and gain recognition for skills and experiences gained outside of the classroom. ERA focuses on what adults know and can do, including skills and training gained on the job through volunteering, recreational activities, and even travel.

Some provinces and territories offer Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) for adults at the high school level. It can help you graduate from high school.

General Educational Development (GED) Tests

Another way to achieve high school equivalency is to sign up for the General Education Development (GED) exams. The GED test covers five different areas. One must pass all five exams to obtain a GED (C ) certificate.

How to pay for school?

There are several options for paying for continuing education, including:

• Scholarship
• Scholarships for Canadian students
• Registered education provision plans
• Canadian Student Loans
• Skill development
• Lifelong Learning Plan

Resources

The Job Board tool allows you to search for job descriptions, salaries, in-demand skills, training and job openings for different types of jobs in Canada. This tool displays information from various government sources in Canada and helps you make informed decisions about the best career paths and educational options available to you.

CEGEP, the college and university search engine that allows you to explore Canada’s post-secondary education options and helps you find the school that best suits your needs.

The Program Finder provides detailed profiles, requirements, and registration and admission information for programs of study at CEGEP, colleges and universities across Canada.

Foreign Certification Recognition (FCR) helps internationally trained workers have their certifications assessed and recognized in Canada.

Learners Speak Out tells stories about the experiences of others going back to school as adults.

Many schools have Academic Help Centers where you can get study tips or join study groups with other students.