PRÉE - Argument

• The importance placed on education has changed. (Although the reality of dropping out of school dates back to the days of the first schools, it was not until the late 1980s that the issue became a key educational concern, and in recent years, it has gained intensity given the scope of the phenomenon in Quebec, and in the Estrie region, in particular.)

• The Estrie region has, and in the future will need, a qualified workforce. (According to Emploi-Québec forecasts, by 2014 more than 31 100 jobs will be available in Estrie. Company growth will be responsible for 27% of these jobs (8100 jobs), and the need to replace those retiring for 73% (22 000 jobs).)1

• Labour market requirements are becoming more demanding. (The proportion of jobs requiring a diploma of vocational or collegial studies will increase in the coming years.)2

• The Estrie region has a very high dropout rate. (In 2008-2009, the Estrie region had a poor record in terms of dropping out. With a 24.2% dropout rate, it ranked 14th out of 17 regions in Quebec.)3

• Investing in education produces results. (Non-graduates are affected by unemployment to a greater extent, comprise the majority of social assistance recipients, and form the bulk of the prison population, whereas they are in the minority in society. (Chronic poverty.) Dropouts have a shorter life span and are more susceptible to depression.)4

• More difficult socio-economic conditions have an impact on educational success. (In 2008-2009, the Estrie region had 39 elementary schools and 8 high schools with a decile rank of 8, 9 or 10.5 A rank of 10 corresponds to the the most disadvantaged areas. Taking into account that in two thirds of cases the mother's level of education and the proportion of parents not having worked the previous year are determining factors in educational success, and without considering family income, which is a determining factor in one third of cases, the two first variables are responsible for lack of educational success in 96.3% of cases.)

• The support and involvement of parents are determining factors. (Nearly 30 years of research have demonstrated that when the school and parents work hand-in-hand, children experience more success and less often quit school without graduating.)

• The Estrie region and certain municipalities in particular will have to address a demographic challenge. (Although generally speaking, demographic perspectives in the Estrie region are very favourable. In fact, a population increase of 8.1% is forecast for the region over the next 20 years, compared to 6.3% for the province. The scenario is similar for all areas of the Estrie region with the exception of the Des Sources MRC. Nevertheless, over the past 10 years, a significant decline in the number of individuals aged 20 to 29 has been observed in every MRC in the Estrie region, contrary to the situation in the city of Sherbrooke, which, conversely, has experienced an increase in this same age group (49.2%).)6

• More and more young people work while studying. (Paid work while studying (high school, CEGEP, and university) is an increasingly prevalent phenomenon in both the Estrie region and in the province as a whole. In 2008, 72% of CEGEP students held a paid job during the school year, working an average of 17 hours a week. This proportion was 69% in 2004, 34% in 1988, and 17% in 1977.7 In Estrie, a School/Work Balance Program has been introduced in six of the seven MRCs.)

• The risk factors associated with dropping out of school exist in varying degrees in our communities. (These factors are related to a young person's personal, family, educational, and social environment; they also vary from one young person to another and from one milieu to another. The risk of dropping out of school increases with the number of risk factors a young person experiences.)