Canada's GED high school equivalency test ends after March, leaving adult students in limbo

For weeks, Gail Feliciant has been trying to book a General Educational Devel‐ opment (GED) test but has‐ n't heard back from sched‐ ulers.

The 62-year-old from Burlington, Ont., said she's seeking the GED to get the certificate - an equivalent to a high school diploma - to gain more opportunity to work before retirement age.

She said she registered before the Jan. 31 deadline and still has hope she'll be able to schedule it before March 31, the deadline set by province, but there isn't much time left.

Pearson Vue GED Testing Service, the company behind the test, is ending service in Canada after this month.

"It's ludicrous," Feliciant said about the program end‐ ing and the tight deadline.

When the end of the pro‐ gram was announced last year, provinces were left to find their own solutions.

In the meantime, people who miss the deadline to schedule a test this year won't get another chance and without any alternative right now in some provinces, such as Ontario, adults wan‐ ting to get the equivalent to a high school diploma will face barriers.

"We were completely blindsided by that, as were our students … this is just an‐ other roadblock for them," said Steven Lobodici, a pro‐ fessor and assessor at Mo‐ hawk College, adding he first learned of the change in Au‐ gust 2023.

The college is one of many learning centres that offers programs to help stu‐ dents prepare for the GED.

"People have reorganized their entire lives to pursue [a GED] … and then one day in August we let them know, 'Y‐ ou've got four months to get yourselves organized and if you do not write and pass this test by that date, all those efforts have been a waste.' "

WATCH | Professor ex‐ plains why the GED mat‐ ters:

Devon Acker, an academic instructor at Ogwehoweh Skills and Trades Training Centre (OSTTC) in Six Nations of the Grand River, said peo‐ ple who don't make it into this cohort will be "in limbo."

"It's almost unbelievable to me they don't have a path‐ way put in place to service those people."

Why people take the GED

The GED test is important for all sorts of reasons, Lobodici said.

People may complete it for personal accomplish‐ ment, to be a role model for others such as their children, to find work or do appren‐ ticeships, or may need it for certain college programs.

Kasey Jamieson, a 27year-old from Six Nations, studies at Ogwehoweh Skills and Trades Training Centre (OSTTC).

She said she dropped out of high school in Grade 9 be‐ fore dealing with addiction is‐ sues, but has been sober for years and wanted a GED to get a job helping others living with addiction. She is set to take the test at the end of this month.

"The second time around has been such an eye-opener for me," Jamieson said. "Edu‐ cation is everything."

WATCH | GED graduates talk about graduating:

Brandon Berghegen, 37, of Hamilton sought a GED through Mohawk College and recently passed the test.

He said he dropped out of high school in Grade 10 to enter the workforce early, but as a father of three, he decided to get the certificate to inspire his kids to stay in school.

"I don't want them to veer off the path and drop out," he said, adding one of his children just graduated from high school.

Alternative to GED sorely needed: instruc‐ tors

Jamieson said she was "so sad" to hear the GED is end‐ ing.

"I know there's so many people who want an educa‐ tion and are striving to do better."

Lobodici said there's cur‐ rently "no adequate replace‐ ment" for the GED.

He mentioned the Canadi‐ an Adult Education Credenti‐ al (CAEC), which is still in de‐ velopment in Alberta. He also noted there's an Academic and Career Entrance (ACE) certificate, but it isn't widely recognized across the coun‐ try.

Acker said that without the GED, "a lot of students fall through the cracks," and said other programs to ad‐ vance education also don't have the same supports in place.

Lobodici said that without a GED replacement soon, employers who need workers will be impacted.

Ontario Education Minis‐ ter Stephen Lecce told re‐ porters on Thursday the province is looking to Alberta to build out a program - pos‐ sibly a reference to the CAEC, though he didn't name it.

He said Ontario is "taking initiative" in ensuring there's "seamless completion," but there's "more work to do on this for sure."

"Be assured we'll be bringing forth an updated version that reflects the needs of the economy and obviously our students."

Lobodici said provincial governments would need to adopt the CAEC once it's in place and other stakeholders - like employers, people in charge of apprenticeships and post-secondary institu‐ tions - would need to recog‐ nize it.

"And that has not been a conversation I've heard of," he said.

A looming deadline

Feliciant said she has per‐ formed well in her training courses at Mohawk College, but hasn't heard from TVO ILC, Ontario's sole GED provider, to book her test.

The organization also only has a one-hour window from 1 to 2 p.m. - for people to call in.

Lobodici believes TVO ILC doesn't have the resources to manage a flood of students trying to contact them about their GED.

CBC contacted TVO ILC for more details but didn't im‐ mediately receive a re‐ sponse.

Feliciant said if she can't book her GED, she'll have to spend a few years to com‐ plete ACE, but that would mean less time being able to work as a carpenter - her ulti‐ mate goal.

"I'm angry," she said. Lobodici said the province needs a replacement soon because the traditional edu‐ cation pathway doesn't work for everyone.

"For a lot of students, this may be the last straw for them in trying … to take that pathway."