New Brunswick Community College grads continue to experience a high employment rate after graduation, according to a new survey.
The college has released the results of the annual Graduate Follow-Up Survey conducted by the Department of Post-Secondary Education, Training, and Labour.
President and CEO Mary Butler said 90 per cent of 2020 grads reported being employed one year after their graduation.
“Most of them are employed in areas related to their field of study and the vast majority of them are living and working right here in New Brunswick,” Butler said in an interview.
More than three-quarters of graduates from 2020 said they were working in jobs related to their field of study. That increases to 82 per cent when you include people in jobs that are “somewhat related.”
Butler said that number is a bit lower than what they have seen in some previous survey results.
“I think that some of the volatility we’re seeing in the labour force is changing rapidly and it’s requiring people to transfer the skills that they’ve learned to different jobs, different sectors,” she said.
“I think we’re going to see a lot more of that movement in the future, and to be honest, I’m thrilled to see that our students are equipped to do that.”
The survey also found that, of those employed, 92 per cent of them are working and living in New Brunswick.
“We’re a publicly funded institution, so when our taxpayer dollars are going to support New Brunswickers getting an education and going to work in and for the province, that’s a good news story,” said Butler.
NBCC’s enrolment has grown by 25 per cent over the past three years, and Butler said that is something they continue to focus on.
“New Brunswick has the lowest post-secondary education attainment in the country, and this is at a time when our individual and collective success relies on our ability to develop and enhance our skillsets,” she said.
