February 2011
Feature Story



Education, Economics and a Twist of Fate
“Code ED” and the role of the business community in propelling kids to success, regardless of the circumstance
By Peter Mitchell



Charles Dickens has captivated generations of people with his tale of Oliver Twist, the impoverished child growing up in Victorian London torn between two futures: the seductive ‘fine life’ of crime offered by Fagin and his gang of pick-pockets; or the refined life of security presented by the benevolent businessman, Mr. Brownlow. Though written in 1838 the themes of poverty and a workforce struggling with the downside of the Industrial Revolution resonate today as the Information Revolution creates similar sweeping changes on society. If Oliver Twist grew up in Hamilton today, how would his story end?

At a glance, his future would seem assured. McMaster University and Mohawk College rank fifth and ninth in our city’s top ten employers respectively, and are working in partnership with the community to develop projects such as the Innovation Park, the Digital Media Centre, and the STAART Institute to bring research, education and employment possibilities to the city. As technology continues to change the way the world works, they are doing their part to provide the tools required for Hamilton’s continuing economic development.

“Fifty years ago the major attraction figures were cheap power, good transportation, relatively inexpensive land and taxes,” explains Neil Everson, Director, Economic Development & Real Estate Division, Planning & Economic Development Department. “That’s changed significantly. The attraction obviously is still being cost competitive, but it’s research centres; it’s a skilled and educated workforce; it’s centres of excellence. Those are as big a magnet to attract and grow industry as those previous ones I mentioned were 50 years ago. We’re creating a labour force that can compete globally, anybody that isn’t accessing the services of Mohawk College or McMaster are doing themselves a disservice.”

How would young Master Twist actually fare in this brave new world? Would he harbour great expectations to become the big man on campus at Mohawk College? Would he overcome hard times to become an alumnus of McMaster’s DeGroote School of Business? Would he escape his bleak house to become a scholar at Redeemer University College? Despite the reputation of our institutions and the millions of dollars in investment, the odds may still be stacked against him. They may be the best of times for Hamilton; but for many of the city’s impoverished they are the worst of times.

Joey Coleman grew up in Hamilton’s east end and is a self-admitted graduate of the school of hard knocks. Armed with the street-smart charm of the Artful Dodger and a natural intelligence, he was able to pursue post-graduate studies and embark on a career that not only helped him escape the cycle of poverty, but provide a voice for the many that have not been so fortunate. As a blogger for both Macleans and the Globe and Mail, he has become a one-man army fighting for poverty and education issues. He says we need to look past McMaster and Mohawk and concentrate on the barriers facing our inner city youth.

“We need to focus less upon the institutions, and more upon the individuals,” he says. “We have a real problem with poverty in this city. McMaster was never someplace I saw myself at. When a volunteer came to the boys and girls club, as soon as they said they were a McMaster student, I knew they couldn’t relate to my neighbourhood. They weren’t from our neighbourhood. And that remains today. There are some people that go into McMaster from the poverty stricken areas of the city. It’s not a completely closed gate; but it’s not a welcoming one either.”

The figures appear to back him up. According to the 2010 Composite Learning Index profile for Hamilton, all of our statistics fall within the National Average, except for one intriguing measurement that falls just short. The percentage of students who reach university is 23.6 per cent, and this figure has dropped from 2008 when the figure was 27.8 per cent. Additionally, the Ontario Secondary School Literacy test conducted by the Education Quality and Accountability Office presents some interesting findings. Results from the 2010 test indicate that the percentage of fully participating students across the province who successfully completed the test was 84 per cent. Hamilton ranked well with an 81 per cent success rate, and our schools have shown improvement since the test’s inception. However, when you analyze the numbers for the individual schools the story they tell takes an intriguing ... well... twist.

Ancaster High School improved upon both the city’s and province’s average with a success rate of 88 per cent. Westdale Secondary School did even better with 93 per cent of its students successfully completing the test. The figures dip the further east you go. Sir John A Secondary School had a 72 per cent success rate. Barton Secondary School had a success rate of 65 per cent. Only 63 per cent of the students at Delta High School successfully completed the test. Data gathered by the Hamilton Spectator for its hard hitting 2010 Code Red series relating to high school drop-out rates shows the same alarming trend.

 “This is immensely complex,” says Judith Bishop, Chair of the Board of the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board. “Poverty, literacy and economics are all interconnected and feed on each other. Why this is so disastrous for a place like Hamilton is you have people you can’t train; who can’t use a computer; who aren’t comfortable if you give them an inventory to do on the computer, or follow a manual. This has an impact. It’s your ability to use literacy and your functional literacy which makes you a worthwhile employee.”

According to a report on Incomes and Poverty conducted by the Social Planning and Research Council of Hamilton made public in April 2009, although the city’s general poverty rate decreased from 19.8 per cent in 2000 to 18.1 per cent in 2005; child poverty rates actually increased from 25.2 per cent to 26.4 per cent in the same five year span. The reasons for this increase are many and complex, but the results lead to decreased chances of success for these children.

“If you have parents who don’t have higher education, your chances of doing well in school are less, because you don’t have the support,” Judith explains. “You can live in areas of the city where you don’t meet anybody who has a university degree, and you don’t know what pathways are available. You arrive at school without the general knowledge and without the language ability that you need to be successful. You don’t meet anybody who is doing something different and have exposure to them. So then you have a problem that you may do well in school but you still don’t think of going on to college or university because it wasn’t in your background. You have to have mentors. Business in a variety of ways can help kids see they have different possibilities.”

Through charitable giving, co-op placements, mentoring and helping school boards develop programs to provide experience within specific fields our local business people can, and do, make a difference.  The need to provide mentorship and strong authority figures is vital to ensure the success of our children from all socio-economic backgrounds. Local business leaders can help by playing the role of Mr. Brownlow to mentor and provide an alternative future to today’s poverty stricken children to combat the modern day Fagins that are often the only peers and authority figures many of these children have.

The results are inarguable. According to the United Way contributions to their 2009 campaign helped 1,176 children improve their academic skills and develop good work habits. Adult mentors were matched with 762 children and youth. When business leaders take an active mentorship role in the lives of our impoverished youth, they have a greater chance of joining the educated and productive workforce needed to drive our city to continued economic prosperity.


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