Prof. says Aboriginal people get highest return for their education spending

POS Pilot Plant Corp., the bioprocessing contract research organization located on the U of S campus, announced this month it will soon offer its clients improved "mini-scale bioprocessing and extraction capabilities" with the purchase of additional mini-scale pilot plant equipment.

Eric Howe

A University of Saskatchewan Economics professor says his research shows Aboriginal people have the highest average dollar return for an investment in education.

In a Sept. 12 seminar at the U of S Centre for the Study of Co-operatives, Prof. Eric Howe released his study's estimates of the earnings of Aboriginal people in Saskatchewan, split by gender and level of education.

Howe said his conclusion - which some find surprising - is similar to findings from studies from the United States.

He presented estimates of the lifetime earnings of an Aboriginal person with different levels of education. They indicate:

• If an Aboriginal person drops out of school prior to receiving a high school diploma, and does not subsequently obtain a high school equivalency, their lifetime earnings will be $344,781 for a Saskatchewan Aboriginal male and $89,502 for a Saskatchewan Aboriginal female.

• If an Aboriginal person obtains a high school diploma either by graduation or by subsequently completing high school equivalency, with no further formal education, their lifetime earnings will be $861,636 for a Saskatchewan Aboriginal male and $294,350 for a Saskatchewan Aboriginal female.

• If an Aboriginal person attends, although doesn't necessarily complete, a program at a non-university post-secondary institution (such as a technical school), with no secondary institution (such as a technical school), with no further formal education, their lifetime earnings will be $1,191,146 for a Saskatchewan Aboriginal male and $646,904 for a Saskatchewan Aboriginal female.

• If an Aboriginal person attends, although doesn't necessarily complete, a program at a university, their lifetime earnings will be $1,386,434 for a Saskatchewan Aboriginal male and $1,249,246 for a Saskatchewan Aboriginal female.

Howe pointed out that when an Aboriginal male drops out of school, he gives up about $516,855 in lifetime earnings.

"A new, fully loaded Ford F150 XLT Supercab, 4x4 with a 5.41 V-8 engine costs $38,600. So, dropping out is the equivalent of buying 13 of them and pushing them off a cliff," Howe said.

He also explained that the number of Aboriginal females seeking education is growing rapidly. They can expect to earn more than $1 million in their lifetime if they stay in school and then attend university. However, if they drop out of high school, they can expect to earn only $89,502 during their working life.

"These amounts provide an extraordinary incentive for Saskatchewan's Aboriginal people to seek education", added Howe.

"It is predicted that Saskatchewan Aboriginal people will catch up to the average level of education of the non-Aboriginal population during the 21st century."

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