Employers continue to hire Ontario college graduates

TORONTO, April 18, 2012 /CNW/ - New statistics show 83 per cent of Ontario college graduates found jobs within six months of graduation, despite the difficult economy.

"Employers value higher education that prepares people for careers," said Linda Franklin, president and CEO of Colleges Ontario. "In spite of the difficult economic climate, Ontario college graduates continue to get jobs."

The employment rate for graduates is among the independently gathered Key Performance Indicators (KPI) data for the province's colleges that were released today. The results showed 83 per cent of graduates entering the labour force in 2011 found jobs within six months.

The data also found 92.8 per cent of employers were satisfied or very satisfied with the quality of the graduates they hired.

"Technology and trade are revolutionizing the workplace.  It is important that new employees can adapt quickly to new innovations," Franklin said. "Employers expect that and college grads deliver."

Since 1998, the provincial KPIs have been gathered annually by two independent research firms for the colleges and for the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities. The most recent data were collected from March 2011 to February 2012.

"Our colleges produce graduates who have the problem-solving abilities and technical skills to succeed," Franklin said. "Growing numbers of students are pursuing college education because they know it leads to career success."

The full KPI report is available at www.collegesontario.org.

Karen Horsman
Manager, Media Relations and Communications
Colleges Ontario
647-258-7686
[email protected]