Emancipatory pathways for adults returning to technical training: the case of continuing college education in Québec

This article focuses on the trajectories of adults returning to full-time study in technical and vocational education and training. The results presented are drawn from a critical ethnography conducted in a General and vocational colleges (referred to as cégep, their French acronym) in Montréal, Québec. The aim of the study was to describe and analyze the educational practices used to support the training and social integration of students enrolled in technical programs in cégep adult continuing education services. This study is based on a document analysis, the researcher's experience, classroom observations and biographical interviews with teachers, active students and graduates. The theoretical framework is built upon andragogy, defined as a humanist and existentialist philosophy of adult education that provides the basis for a critical theory of adult education, aimed at emancipation and self-realization through lifelong learning. The research shows that the transformative learning trajectories of adults returning to school, while highly varied, demonstrate a certain convergence in terms of the elements that drive their return to training. Firstly, before making this choice, they live in a state of low recognition and socio-economic precariousness. Then, dissatisfaction, opportunity and the support of an outsider propels their return to education. This choice is based on the absence of a negative relationship with school, a drive for learning and intellectual stimulation, and a latent desire to return. Finally, favorable socio-economic conditions facilitate the act. The research shows that by giving adults a sense of competence, self-esteem, and a place in society, the success of the academic pathway enables social reintegration.