NLIS 4
November 8, 2002
(Executive Council)
(Youth Services and Post-Secondary Education)
 

Premier and minister release CareerSearch 2002 documents

Premier Roger Grimes and Sandra C. Kelly, Minister of Youth Services and Post-Secondary Education, today released CareerSearch 2002, Employment Experiences and Earnings of 2000 Graduates. This publication, the third edition of CareerSearch, highlights government�s commitment to ensuring accountability in post-secondary education in Newfoundland and Labrador. It provides detailed program-level information on graduate employment and earnings outcomes, out-migration, student loans and length of job searches, and it describes graduates� opinions of their investments in their programs.

"There have been significant improvements in the number of graduates who obtained full-time employment rates in the year following their graduation from post-secondary institutions in the province," said Premier Grimes. "We believe the continued publication of graduate follow-up research will contribute to effective career planning for students. This information provides graduates with the information they need to take full advantage of the opportunities available as the provincial economy continues to grow.

"I established the Department of Youth Services and Post-Secondary Education to focus specifically on youth and adult learners in our province. We have invested in initiatives to make post-secondary education more accessible and affordable for students, including a 20 per cent decrease in tuition rates at Memorial University and a continued tuition freeze at Marine Institute and College of the North Atlantic."

One year following their graduation, post-secondary students are surveyed and asked a series of questions. One question probes their employment status. From the responses we received, an employment rate is calculated from the number of students who indicate they are working full-time. CareerSearch 2002 shows that full-time employment rates, one year following graduation from Memorial University undergraduate programs, have increased from 56 per cent in 1996 to 65 per cent in 2000. Overall, we have seen significant improvements in full-time employment rates in college programs for both College of the North Atlantic and private training institutions, from 52 per cent in 1996 to 70 per cent in 2000.

For journeypersons certified in 2000, the full-time employment rate was approximately 79 per cent. This is the first survey of graduates from these journeyperson programs.

"This report is designed to address the growing need for high quality labour market information in support of career and program planning," said Minister Kelly. "Students, parents, educators and career counsellors will find the information in this report makes a useful contribution to the complex decision-making process required in making sound career and program choices. Post-secondary institutions will find the research useful in evaluating the effectiveness of their program."

Copies of CareerSearch 2002 can be obtained by calling (709) 729-0233. Visit the CareerSearch on-line searchable database at www.gov.nl.ca/youth.

Media contact:

Carl Cooper, Office of the Premier, (709) 729-3960.
Tansy Mundon, Youth Services and Post-Secondary Education, (709) 729-6573.

FACTSHEET
CareerSearch 2002: Employment Experience and Earnings of 2000 Graduates

CareerSearch 2002 is the Department of Youth Services and Post-Secondary Education�s current report of graduate employment outcomes and experiences following completion of post-secondary study in Newfoundland and Labrador. The report contains the results of a telephone survey of those students who graduated in 2000. The survey was conducted between January and May 2002, approximately a year and a half to two years following graduation. The purpose of the initiative is to provide policy makers, career counselors, institution administrators and prospective students with current pertinent information on the outcomes of post-secondary programs.

This report will make available information on actual graduate employment experiences following graduation and graduate satisfaction levels with their choice of program following program completion. This information is reported for each program and institution in the province, enabling users of this information to assess the extent to which individual programs at Memorial University (including the Marine Institute and Sir Wilfred Grenfell College), the Centre for Nursing Studies, the Western Regional School of Nursing, the College of the North Atlantic and the private colleges yield positive employment, earnings and satisfaction outcomes. In addition, for the first time, the program level information for certified journeypersons is included.

CareerSearch consists of three books: one for Memorial University (including Sir Wilfred Grenfell College and the Marine Institute), the Centre for Nursing Studies and Western Regional School of Nursing; one for the College of the North Atlantic and the private colleges in the Province; and one for apprenticeship entry-level programs offered at the College of the North Atlantic and the private colleges, as well as certified journeypersons.

Each document contains three main sections:

  • key Findings which highlight main points;
  • a Users� Guide that offers a detailed explanation of how to best use and interpret the information presented for each program; and
  • program profiles that report, for each program, nine indicators of graduate experience -
  1. employment status at the time of survey
  2. weekly earnings at the time of the survey
  3. relevance of training to current employment
  4. number of graduates that have left the province
  5. current province of residences for graduates
  6. degree of satisfaction with investment of time spent on the program
  7. degree of satisfaction with the financial investment in education
  8. length of time spent looking for work
  9. amount of money owed to government student loan programs.

Today, these documents are being released to the public and are available on the Department�s website. The reports will be sent to all school district offices, high schools and HRDC Career Information Resource Centres in the province in the next several weeks.

Full-time Employment Rates in the Last Week of June in the Year Following Post-Secondary Graduation, Newfoundland and Labrador1: Results from Surveys of Those Who Graduated in 1996, 1998 and 2000.

Graduation Year

1996

1998

2000

Memorial Undergraduate Degree Programs2

55.7%

61.0%

64.7%

CNA 1 Year Programs

57.9%

59.0%

71.4%

Private 1 Year Programs

44.8%

58.0%

61.9%

CNA Entry-level Apprenticeship Programs3

-

-

70.0%

Private Entry-level Apprenticeship Programs3

-

-

69.2%

CNA 2 Year Programs

52.6%

69.0%

68.2%

Private 2 Year Programs

49.5%

58.6%

69.7%

CNA 3 Year Programs

71.8%

78.7%

86.0%

All College Programs

52.2%

63.6%

69.7%

Centre for Nursing Studies4

-

-

89.5%

Western Regional School of Nursing4

-

-

85.0%

Certified Journeypersons4

-

-

78.5%

1. Source: CareerSearch 1999, 2001 and 2002.

2. For graduates of 2000, 14.9% of Memorial Undergraduates reported they were engaged in full-time school in the last week of June in the year 1. Source: CareerSearch 1999, 2001 and 2002.
2. For graduates of 2000, 14.9% of Memorial Undergraduates reported they were engaged in full-time school in the last week of June in the year following graduation compared to 15.6% and 16.4% for graduates of 1996 and 1998, respectively. This relatively high full-time school rate for graduates from MUN undergraduate programs, which was not evident in the other sectors, has the effect of showing a lower full-time employment rate compared to other sectors. In fact, the unemployment rate of MUN undergraduates is generally much lower than the other sectors.
3. Over 95% of graduates from Entry-level Apprenticeship programs were enrolled in one-year programs. Had these graduates been included in the one-year program totals, as was the case for graduates of 1996 and 1998, this would have slightly altered the full-time employment rates in one-year program
4. Data for these groups were collected for the first time in 2002.

  1. Employment rates in all post-secondary education sectors have shown significant yearly increases in full-time employment rates.
  2. Over two-thirds of all college program graduates (69.7%) had full-time employment in the week they were surveyed.
  3. Entry-level apprenticeship programs, surveyed for the first time this year, show high employment levels for both the College of the North Atlantic and the private colleges.
Response Rates, CareerSearch 2002

Post-secondary Institution

Response Rate

Memorial University

67.0%

College of the North Atlantic

73.1%

Private Colleges

63.3%

Centre for Nursing Studies

67.7%

Western Regional School of Nursing

63.5%

Certified Journeypersons

69.9%

  • There were excellent response rates to this post-secondary graduate follow-up study with over 60% of graduates responding from all sectors.

Volume 1
Memorial University (including Marine Institute and Sir Wilfred Grenfell College), the Centre for Nursing Studies and the Western Regional School of Nursing

Table 1: Employment status during reference week (June 24-30, 2001)

Employment

Memorial Undergraduate

Memorial Master�s

Marine Institute

Centre for Nursing Studies

Western Regional School of Nursing

Employed Full-time

64.7%

79.3%

74.7%

89.5%

85.0%

Employed Part-time

7.6%

1.5%

4.5%

2.9%

5.0%

Unemployed

10.9%

7.7%

14.9%

3.8%

7.5%

In School

14.0%

5.7%

2.6%

1.0%

0.0%

Other

2.8%

5.7%

3.0%

2.9%

2.5%

Total

100.0%

100.0%

100.0%

100.0%

100.0%

  • Full-time employment rates were high for all areas of Memorial University, the Centre for Nursing Studies and the Western Regional School of Nursing.
  • While Memorial undergraduate respondents had a lower rate of full-time employment, this is influenced by the high rate of graduates pursuing further education.

Table 2: Graduates� weekly wage in reference week job (June 24-30, 2001)

Wages Per Week

Memorial Undergraduate

Memorial Master�s

Marine Institute

Centre for Nursing Studies

Western Regional School of Nursing

Very High ($800 or More)

25.0%

62.2%

39.4%

29.1%

34.4%

High ($560 - $799)

32.5%

28.4%

29.8%

50.0%

40.6%

Medium ($320 - $559)

26.7%

8.1%

23.4%

20.9%

25.0%

Low ($320 or Less)

15.7%

1.4%

7.4%

0.0%

0.0%

Total

100.0%

100.0%

100.0%

100.0%

100.0%

  • Graduate weekly wages are calculated only for those graduates who reported full-time employment during the reference week of June 24-30, 2001.
  • The majority of all graduates had wages in the high or very high categories. Nearly all (90.6%) of the Memorial Master�s graduates reported wages in these categories.
  • The wages of the Memorial Undergraduate graduates reflect the diverse nature of the programs of study.

Table 3: Satisfaction with investment in education

Status

Memorial Undergraduate

Memorial Master�s

Marine Institute

Centre for Nursing Studies

Western Regional School of Nursing

Satisfaction with investment of time for class and study

88.7%

91.2%

87.0%

96.2%

95.0%

Satisfaction with financial investment for education

74.0%

87.5%

75.3%

83.7%

85.0%

  • Graduates from all programs showed very high levels of both personal and financial satisfaction.
  • Financial satisfaction results are also influenced by student loan levels.

Table 4: Government student loans

Status

Memorial Undergraduate

Memorial Master�s

Marine Institute

Centre for Nursing Studies

Western Regional School of Nursing

% Students with Loan

66.2%

20.0%

56.5%

56.3%

70.0%

Average Loan

$23,836

$11,930

$13,272

$26,344

$21,473

  • With the exception of Memorial Master�s graduates, the majority of graduates received government student loans to finance their education.

Volume 2

College of the North Atlantic and the Private Colleges

Table 1: Employment status during reference week (June 24-30, 2001)

Employment Status

CNA 1 Year

Private

1 Year

All

1 Year

CNA

2 Year

Private

2 Year

All

2 Year

CNA

3 Year

College

Total

Employed Full-time

71.4%

61.9%

64.2%

68.2%

69.7%

69.0%

86.0%

69.7%

Employed Part-time

8.3%

7.3%

7.5%

6.1%

5.9%

6.0%

2.0%

5.5%

Unemployed

14.1%

22.4%

20.4%

19.5%

18.0%

18.8%

6.7%

18.7%

In School

1.6%

4.8%

4.0%

3.1%

3.1%

3.1%

2.6%

3.0%

Other

4.7%

3.6%

3.9%

3.0%

3.2%

3.1%

2.6%

3.1%

Total

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

  • Eighty-six percent (86.0%) of CNA three-year program graduates had full-time employment during the survey reference week.
  • In general, graduates of two-year programs experienced better employment rates in comparison to one-year programs. However, there is substantial variation depending on program or institution of study.
  • The average full-time employment rates for graduates of CNA and private college two-year programs are similar.

Table 2: Graduates� weekly wage in reference week job (June 24-30, 2001)

Wages Per Week

CNA

1 Year

Private

1 Year

All

1 Year

CNA

2 Year

Private

2 Year

All

2 Year

CNA

3 Year

College

Total

Very High ($800 or More)

19.8%

13.5%

15.3%

8.9%

6.4%

7.7%

30.2%

15.3%

High ($560 - $799)

20.7%

21.0%

20.9%

19.8%

16.2%

18.0%

37.7%

21.5%

Medium ($320 - $559)

40.5%

36.7%

37.8%

42.2%

45.1%

43.6%

29.0%

39.1%

Low ($320 or Less)

18.9%

28.8%

26.0%

29.1%

32.4%

30.7%

3.2%

24.1%

Total

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

100%

  • Graduate weekly wages are calculated only for those graduates who reported full-time employment during the reference week of June 24-30, 2001.
  • Graduates from both public and private sector one-year programs tend to have higher weekly wages in comparison to two-year programs.

Table 3: Satisfaction with investment in education

Status

CNA

1 Year

Private

1 Year

All

1 Year

CNA

2 Year

Private

2 Year

All

2 Year

CNA

3 Year

College

Total

Satisfaction with investment of time for class and study

91.7%

81.0%

83.6%

86.9%

72.3%

80.0%

90.7%

83.7%

Satisfaction with financial investment for education

88.9%

64.4%

70.4%

77.7%

45.8%

62.5%

86.0%

69.9%

  • The vast majority of graduates from college programs throughout the province expressed high levels of personal satisfaction with their programs of study.
  • Students from CNA expressed higher levels of satisfaction with their financial investments than their private college counterparts.

Table 4: Government student loans

 

1 Year

Private

1 Year

All

1 Year

CNA

2 Year

Private

2 Year

All

2 Year

CNA

3 Year

College Total

% Students with Loan

21.4%

49.0%

42.3%

56.1%

80.8%

67.9%

63.9%

56.5%

Average Loan

$7,829

$11,307

$10,906

$12,899

$18,525

$16,076

$18,354

$14,570

  • As would be expected, average student debt increased with longer program duration.
  • Average student debt was lower for graduates from CNA in comparison to their private college counterparts in programs of similar duration.

Volume 3
Certified Journeypersons and Apprenticeship Entry-level Programs Offered at the College of the North Atlantic and Private Colleges

Table 1: Employment status during reference week (June 24-30, 2001)

Employment Status

Private

Entry-level

CNA

Entry-level

All

Entry-level

Certified Journeypersons

Employed Full-time

69.2%

70.0%

69.6%

78.5%

Employed Part-time

3.0%

2.4%

2.8%

0.4%

Unemployed

23.2%

24.7%

24.1%

17.4%

In School

1.0%

1.5%

1.3%

0.4%

Other

3.5%

1.2%

2.2%

3.4%

Total

100.0%

100.0%

100.0%

100.0%

  • The high demand for tradespeople is reflected in the high employment rate for certified journeypersons.
  • Graduates of apprenticeship entry-level programs show good employment outcomes for both CNA and the private colleges. These programs, combined with experience and further training, lead to recognition as a certified journeyperson.

Table 2: Weekly wage in reference week job (June 24-30, 2001)

Wages Per Week

Private

Entry-level

CNA

Entry-level

All

Entry-level

Certified Journeypersons

Very High ($800 or More)

31.0%

18.0%

23.4%

49.1%

High ($560 - $799)

13.3%

20.5%

17.5%

40.4%

Medium ($320 -$559)

32.7%

40.4%

37.2%

9.4%

Low ($320 or Less)

23.0%

21.1%

21.9%

1.2%

Total

100.0%

100.0%

100.0%

100.0%

  • Weekly wages are calculated only for those graduates and certified journeypersons who reported full-time employment during the reference week of June 24-30, 2001.
  • The vast majority of certified journeypersons (89.5%) reported wages in the high or very high categories.
  • The variation in wage rates for entry-level programs reflects the nature of apprenticeship. Apprentices generally receive a series of wage increases as they increase their skills and experience as they progress through the on-the-job training component of their programs.
  • The graduates from the private college apprenticeship programs reported higher wages than graduates from CNA.

Table 3: Satisfaction with investment in education

Status

Private

Entry-level

CNA

Entry-level

All

Entry-level

Certified Journeypersons

Satisfaction with investment of time for class and study

89.2%

90.8%

90.1%

94.7%

Satisfaction with financial investment for education

69.9%

87.1%

79.6%

91.5%

  • Graduates from entry-level programs in both the public and private sector expressed very high levels of satisfaction with their investment in their programs of study.

Table 4: Government student loans

Private

Entry-level

CNA

Entry-level

All

Entry-level

Certified Journeypersons

% Students with Loan

42.9%

38.5%

40.4%

9.4%

Average Loan

$ 9,853

$ 7,674

$8,702

$9,506

  • The return on investment for certified journeypersons is high. Very few (9.4%) have government student loans, and the average student loan is low ($9,506) given the length of these programs.
  • The low levels of student loans for certified journeypersons is related to the nature of the apprenticeship program.
  • Over 80% of certified journeypersons responding to the survey received some funding from the LMDA.

2002 11 08                                      10:35 a.m. 


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