National Adult Literacy Database

Improving Access to Capital by Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises

Authors: Canadian Labour Market and Productivity Centre

This report of the Task Force on Access to Capital of the Canadian Labour Market and Productivity Centre discusses and makes recommendations concerning financing barriers relevant to small and medium-sized enterprises in Canada. The work of the Task Force builds on recommendations made by the CLMPC’s Economic Restructuring Committee in their 1993 report, Canada: Meeting the Challenge of Change.

Over the past decade, small and medium-sized firms have made major contributions to net job creation. Despite this fact, it is these companies, and especially the youngest among them, that encounter significant difficulties seeking external capital. The Task Force feels, further, that issues related to debt capital have tended to overshadow discussion of equity sources.

A central message of the Task Force is that equity capital should be given heightened emphasis in Canadian investment and financing, especially for small and medium-sized enterprises (SME’s). Within the equity capital framework, there is a further need to explore in more detail the role and contributions of the relatively new labour-sponsored investment funds.

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Added: 2007-03-08

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See also:

• Générer la croissance

The financial and social costs to adult learners in PEI

Authors: Angela Larter

Adults returning to school face many challenges, finacial as well as academic. This report presents the results of a research project that explores the financial challenges facing individuals enrolled in the Adult Education program at Holland College in PEI. In this project, the author surveyed students in five Holland College Adult Education classrooms across PEI seeking information to answer the following questions:
1) What are the financial costs incurred when returning to school as an Adult Education student? What supports are available to learners to offset such costs?
2) What are the non-financial costs experienced when returning to school as an Adult Education student? What supports do learners have in place to lessen the effect of these costs?
3) Do the costs sustained shape learners’ long-term goals? What additional resources would improve learners’ situations and how would their educational and/or career goals change?

Added: 2008-01-31

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