Yes I support helping people retrain and funding education for low income people of any age.
Yes, the General Education Development (GED) high school equivalency certificate is very accessible and much used in Canada by people who, for whatever reason, did not complete secondary school. It costs only $100 to take the test, (more if additional tutoring is required), and employers, Colleges and Universities do recognize it as equivalent to a secondary school diploma.
About 3,500 people got a GED last year, in Ontario alone. It's a great program for getting people employed, or accessing post secondary programs.
While there may still be some older people well employed without a high school diploma, that won't happen for current generations: You really can't even get a temporary job anymore without a high school diploma or equivalent.
I asked a local summer burger joint for a job application for a young woman, who had 'aged out' of foster care with no secondary diploma. The manager just laughed at me and said "Most of our employees are working on their PhD!"
Not just Ontario ... I've heard there are Alberta oil workers who left school at 15 for good paying jobs ... that are no more.