Back to school 2014: Experiences, opportunities boost students’ success

OTTAWA – As summer winds down, Canada’s universities are preparing to welcome more than a million new and returning students to their campuses. The Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada is happy to provide journalists with data and interview opportunities related to the start of the new study year and how Canada’s universities are preparing their students to be competitive in a mobile and globally connected labour market. Some points of interest:

• This fall’s incoming class will have unprecedented opportunities for hands-on learning. More than half of all university undergraduates benefit from a co-op or internship experience before they graduate. (Source: Based on data from the Canadian Association for Co-operative Education and Canadian University Survey Consortium).
• The number of students in co-op programs jumped 25 percent in just seven years, from 53,000 students in 2006-07 to more than 65,000 in 2013. In total, last year more than 1,000 co-op programs were offered to students at 59 universities in Canada. (Source: Canadian Association for Co-operative Education and AUCC estimates).
• Within five to seven years after graduation, 96% of university graduates are working full-time and their median income is $63,000. (Source: 2013 Canadian University Baccalaureate Graduate Outcomes Survey).
• Between May 2008 and May 2014, more than twice as many net new jobs were created for university graduates than for college and trades graduates combined (878,000 and 437,000 respectively). (Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey).
• Extractive industries rely just as much on university graduates as they do on college graduates and skilled tradespeople – but for different types of jobs, such as positions in engineering, management and community relations. For example, since 2008 in Alberta, 56% of net new jobs have been for university graduates. That’s almost double the number of net new jobs for college grads (31%) and more than triple those for trades. (Source: Statistics Canada, Labour Force Survey).

Interview opportunities:

AUCC President Paul Davidson is available for media interviews about the experiences and opportunities in store for students heading to university campuses this fall.