UNBC Scores High on Grad Survey
Prince George, B.C. – UNBC alumni have given their school experience a big thumbs up.
At least that’s according to results released today to the first ever UNBC alumni survey completed over a 4 week period starting last February.
It found 93% of respondents were either very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with their experience.
The survey also found the unemployment rate among participants just 4 percent and revealed 50 percent found work within a month of graduating.
That number jumped to 84 percent within 6 months. Other highlights of the survey included:
*Health and Medicine was listed as the top employment industry.
*Among employed alumni, 69 percent are working in management or executive level jobs.
*More than 95 percent of graduates were living in Canada at the time of the survey, of those 82 percent were living in B.C.
*Of those living in B.C., 60 percent were living in the North.
* The two highest rated skills graduates credited to their UNBC education were critical thinking and the ability to independently acquire skills and knowledge.
Just under 1,500 surveys were completed for a participation rate of 13.4 percent.
UNBC President Dr. Daniel Weeks was pleased with the results.
“Our students are doing incredibly well. They’re in jobs that are directly related to their education at UNBC,” he said. “And many of them are in leadership positions.”
He also said the survey provides a benchmark for the school to follow.
“We often think we know how we’re doing but it’s good to reach out to alumni and get some feedback. “
Comments
Average salary for University/College graduate in Canada, two years after graduating is $45,000.00 per year.
It would be interesting to know what the average salary is for students who graduated from UNBC. One would think that they have this information, but for some reason left it out.
I wouldn’t worry about it. The average (or mean as the statistic is called) is a useless stat when comparing wages. Someone can get a C-TQ for welding, call themselves a college graduate, and then either make nothing because they can’t find work without experience or pull in six figures a year welding in the oil patch. The average between the two would describe neither individual’s situation (the oil patch welder’s wages divided by 2). A far better stat is the median (point at which half are above and half are below).
Regardless, information pertaining to how soon someone finds work in their field after graduating or whether they’re working in an entry-level position versus an advanced position and whether or not they stayed in northern BC are far more meaningful when discussing the contribution the university makes to the region.
I would be inclined to agree with you Krusty except if the average wage for people graduating from UNBC is substantially lower that other areas in the Province.
The salaries would give us some indication of what is happening to these students after they graduate. I don’t think that there are very many high salary jobs for University Graduates in the Greater Prince George. Some of course, but how many.??
Well, maybe another question would be, what are your grounds for even assuming that UNBC grads aren’t making what other grads are making elsewhere in the province?
Of those who I graduated with, one is in an executive position in a fairly large and highly profitable organization here in town, one went on to become a lawyer and is doing very well, one went into the oil and gas industry and is doing scandalously well, and yours truly is quite comfortable. A small and admittedly anecdotal sample, to be sure, but it leads me to assume UNBC grads actually do alright. What do you know that would suggest otherwise?
After reading the report it showed the following
56.2% of graduates surveyed were in jobs paying in excess of $60,000.00 per year.
43.7% Made $60,000.00 or less.
Of the above 43.7%, 25.4% made between $40,000 and $60,000.00 per year.
This leaves 18.3 percent earning less than $40,000.00 per year. However the average of $45,000.00 per year seems to be in play.
I found it particularly amusing that 17 of the respondents couldn’t figure out how to complete the survey and so their responses weren’t included. Too funny.
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