Despite what many people believe, our university and college are saying their rate of employment for graduates within the province is quite high.
UNB President Dr. Eddy Campbell says they studied 2007 students two years after they graduated to find out that 88% of them were employed and most of them in New Brunswick. And even though it’s been five years since that study, Campbell believes today’s numbers should be similar and — based on that stat — doesn’t believe many students are leaving the province.
When it comes to more recent stats from NBCC, 90% of grads are employed and 94% of them stay in New Brunswick. NBCC President & CEO Marilyn Luscombe says those stats mean NBCC has a connection with the labor market and they’re meeting current needs. She says obviously 10% of grads are unemployed or go out of province, but she doesn’t think we should be too paranoid about those numbers. Luscombe says it’s not a bad thing that some people go to school here and then leave for a different lifestyle, for money or for relationships. She says New Brunswick needs those students who go away, get global experience, and then bring those skills back into the province.
Luscombe says jobs that are in high demand are engineering technology, business administration, nursing, and ICT.
