This study examines the state of contemporary adult education in New Brunswick. New Brunswick is currently experiencing an increase in unemployment as well as the loss of traditional employment bases. Concurrently, there are greater numbers of adults who are finding themselves with no clear employment direction. One of the places they are ending up is in formal and non-formal adult education programs. Our belief is that the purpose of adult education in the province of New Brunswick has undergone a shift, moving away from an ethic of adult education for personal, social, and political change towards a neo-liberal skills agenda.