Some 80,000 more adult learners will be able to hit the books.

According to an article in The Toronto Star by Kristin Rushowy,

Deputy Premier Deb Matthews, the province's minister of advanced education and skills development, stated, "We are doubling the funding over the next four years for adult literacy and basic skills."

She made the announcement Friday in London, saying afterwards that "I've just come from the event, and hearing the stories of people who didn't get the education that they could have got or should have got, and making the decision to go back and learn to read, and learn numeracy skills."

The funding is part of the government's push to improve literacy levels. Premier Kathleen Wynne's own "Highly Skilled Workforce Expert Panel" urged literacy training as necessary for today's economy and to help with labour productivity.

 "It's about access," added Matthews, who said the free help often leads students to further their education. About 15 per cent of the population does not have the literacy and numeracy skills required to compete in this economy, so we've got to focus on (them)."

Those 15 per cent would have trouble "understanding calculations, reading instructions or working with a computer. This new investment will help more people get the training and skills they need to pursue employment and educational goals in a changing economy," the government said in a written release.

Currently, more than 42,000 students are enrolled in Ontario adult education programs each year.

"The economy is changing and our government is determined to see that no one is left behind," Matthews concluded.

LNY sees this as new funding boost as leverage to use in our lobbying efforts with New York State.