For Canada's young people and new citizens to thrive and remain competitive economically, we must invest more in education and training, and do a better job with the investments we make. We must also create opportunities for retraining and lifelong learning, as traditional industries face overseas competition and new industries emerge.

Post-Secondary Education

Through Jack Layton and the New Democrats' Education Opportunity Plan, we will:

Enact the Post Secondary Education Act as introduced by the NDP in the last Parliament.

Ensure that students don't have crippling debts when they graduate:

• Provide a $1,000 grant to all undergraduate or equivalent students who qualify for student loans, paid at the beginning of the school year.
• Support students and post-secondary education in Quebec and the Northern Territories with financing equivalent to their government's student access and post-secondary development programs.

Keep tuition fees affordable and improve opportunities in post-secondary education by negotiating with provinces and territories improved, dedicated funding to support and enrich publicly funded and administered post-secondary institutions. This will include new initiatives to increase financial support for in-demand professionals, such as doctors and nurses, linked to them serving in areas where there are shortages.

Reform the Canada Student Loans system, including interest relief, so students are not forced to start repaying their student loans while they are still completing their education through internship, co-op or placement programs.

Encourage the best young minds to stay here in Canada by increasing funding for university and college-based research, and for graduate and post-graduate studies.

Skills Training and Apprenticeships

Jack Layton and the New Democrats will take action to increase skills training and apprenticeship opportunities. We will:

Create more opportunities for training by broadening eligibility for EI training benefits. To make it easier for workers to access full- and part-time training programs we will:

• Open the doors to employed Canadians who take leaves from their jobs to participate.
• Extend opportunities to employed Canadians engaged in full-time training and retraining programs who do not otherwise qualify for EI.
• Waive the eligibility waiting period for EI benefits when tradespeople are entering courses.
• Develop partnerships with provincial and territorial governments, and labour and management organizations, to make EI a key resource for public training strategies and programs.

Make the employment of certified apprentices and journeypersons a condition in federal government construction contracts.

Support skills upgrades in the health sector through training leaves.

Work with the building and other trades, in collaboration with provincial governments, to set Canada-wide standards for apprenticeship entrance requirements, curriculum and recognition requirements.

Create incentives for employers to make sure apprenticeships are completed.

Reach out to aboriginal peoples and new Canadians to encourage their participation in skills training, with recognition of their growing role in the labour force and their ability to fill skills shortages.

Work with provincial governments, industry and the trade union movement to develop a more effective system of job placement.

Expand the number of apprenticeable trades in Canada.

Develop a more effective approach to recognizing prior learning, including for foreign workers and new immigrants.

Literacy Opportunity Guarantee

Jack Layton and the New Democrats will:

Commit to the goal of a fully literate Canada by spearheading a comprehensive literacy strategy.

Invest in long-term, sustainable funding to meet Canada-wide literacy targets, including the creation of a Canadian Literacy Agency to work with the provinces and our community partners to fund, monitor and measure progress in achieving these targets.

Formally recognize the "right to learn" of all Canadians – to develop the literacy and essential skills they need to participate fully in our social, cultural, economic and political life.

Implement a "literacy lens" across federal departments to make literacy a government-wide priority.