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rom 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on six consecutive Saturdays, John Tossell worked towards earning a full credit in brass-tacks photography from Ryerson University in Toronto. It was stressful and intense because Tossell, 44, works full time as a pay-equity dispute mediator and doesn't have much time to spare. But the experience was worth it: not only did he learn a lot but he thoroughly enjoyed going back to school as an adult. "At university, you were figuring out what your interests were, you're studying for a different reason," he says. "This was a creative thing-a different kind of creativity than I use at work. And you bring so much more to the table as an adult student."

Thanks in part to the growth of information and communication technologies, participation in adult education in Canada has exploded during the past 40 years. In 1960, only about four per cent of Canadians over the age of 17 were thought to be taking any kind of course provided by an educational institution. Twenty years later, that number had increased to 20 per cent. By the early 1990s, about 35 per cent of Canadian adults were thought to be taking enrichment courses.

Adults go back to school for many reasons-everything from academic upgrading and literacy education to professional or technical training and skills development. Some adults, like Tossell, go back to school to learn a new hobby or learn more about an old one.

In 2001, Human Resources Development Canada and Statistics Canada released the results of the Adult Education and Training Survey. They found that of those who participated in adult education in 1997, about three in four took at least one course or program for job-related reasons; one in three participated for their own pleasure or personal development. No matter why they took the courses, however, the majority reported that they used the skills they had learned at least somewhat and often to a great extent in both their personal and professional lives.

Many kinds of education are available to Canadian adults, no matter where they live, and in many different ways.

• Some institutions not only offer day and evening classes but also provide opportunities for online learning. In many cases, e-textbooks are also available online. Online learning also means that students can start at almost any point during a year and complete courses at their own speed.
• There are several databases of so-called distance education programs available online through several Canadian universities. Among them: www.DistanceEd Canada.ca and Canadian Virtual University.
• Local adult student associations or adult learning centres either offer programs themselves or can help provide information about programs in your area.

In September, 2002, the Canadian Commission for the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization launched the first International Adult Learners' Week in Canada to promote adult education. At the launch, Michele Jean, vice-president of the Canadian Commission for UNESCO, said: "Learning through life equips us to face problems that arise in our personal, family or vocational lives. It allows us to strengthen our skills and understand our past to better grasp the present and participate in the development of the future."

For Tossell, the payoff of taking a photography course was much richer than simply learning how to frame a picture or work with black-and-white film. "It's part of the whole health of diversifying," he says. "Your work goes better when your life is diverse."