Where do young college and CEGEP certificate and diploma holders work following graduation?

Colleges across Canada and CEGEPs in Quebec will soon be welcoming students for the fall semester. A recent study looks at where college and CEGEP certificate and diploma holders aged 25 to 34 were working at the time of the 2021 Census of Population.

The benefits of higher education

One of the main investments Canadians can make throughout their lives is the decision to pursue a postsecondary education. Indeed, higher education has been linked to hundreds of thousands of dollars—or even millions of dollars—more in lifetime earnings compared with high school graduation. But not all academic programs yield similar outcomes, as lifetime earnings also vary considerably by field of study.

Of course, careers are more than just a means of generating a stream of earnings. The type of work employees do may also be an important consideration, as it may provide a level of satisfaction that cannot be captured by earnings alone. One way to qualify jobs in this manner is to look at the occupational classification associated with the jobs held by postsecondary graduates in various fields of study.

The study “Most prevalent jobs of young college and CEGEP certificate and diploma graduates by detailed field of study” looks at where college and CEGEP certificate and diploma holders aged 25 to 34 were working at the time of the 2021 Census of Population. Only individuals who worked during the census reference week (May 2 to 8, 2021) and who completed a Canadian college or CEGEP certificate or diploma of at least one year in duration are included.

Health college programs most strongly associated with landing a specific job

For male college and CEGEP certificate and diploma graduates aged 25 to 34 in 2021, the academic programs most strongly associated with landing a specific job include medical radiation technologist/radiographer, with 86.8% of graduates working as medical radiation technologists, and respiratory care therapy/therapist, with 84.2% working as respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists and cardiopulmonary technologists.

Just over three in four (78.7%) male graduates in clinical laboratory science/medical technology/technologist were working as medical laboratory technologists, while a similar share of opticianry/ophthalmic dispensing optician graduates were working as opticians (76.5%).

Just over two-thirds (67.4%) of emergency medical technology/technician male graduates were working as paramedics.

For female college and CEGEP certificate and diploma holders, the most highly-concentrated graduates in specific jobs included those who studied in the fields of diagnostic medical sonography/sonographer and ultrasound technician, with 92.1% working as medical sonographers, and respiratory care therapy/therapists, with 91.7% working as respiratory therapists, clinical perfusionists or cardiopulmonary technologists.

Over four in five (84.2%) female college graduates from medical radiation technologist/radiographer programs were working as medical radiation technologists in 2021, while a similar share of opticianry/ophthalmic dispensing optician graduates were working as opticians (83.2%).

College graduates from most disciplines find a wider variety of jobs, but most are related to their field of study

Graduates from most disciplines were dispersed across a wide variety of jobs. This is very similar to the findings of another study on bachelor’s degree graduates, “Most prevalent jobs of young bachelor’s degree graduates by detailed field of study.” Despite the wide variety of jobs, the most prevalent jobs often appeared to be related to the discipline.

For example, the most prevalent jobs held by male graduates in civil engineering technology/technician programs included civil engineering technologists and technicians (25.9%); construction managers (9.6%), civil engineers (8.1%), contractors and supervisors, heavy equipment operator crews (5.1%) and land surveyors (3.6%).

The most prevalent jobs for their female counterparts included civil engineering technologists and technicians (36.1%), construction managers (7.8%), drafting technologists and technicians (7.4%), civil engineers (6.1%) and construction estimators (4.8%).

Female culinary arts/chef training graduates landed related occupations such as chefs (19.2%), cooks (16.5%), food counter attendants, kitchen helpers and related support occupations (5.8%) and bakers (5.6%). Similar findings were registered for their male counterparts, as some of their most prevalent jobs included chefs (28.0%), cooks (14.8%), restaurant and food service managers (3.5%) and food service supervisors (2.3%).

In some disciplines, a small share of graduates landed the most prevalent job. Among men, the disciplines with the lowest concentration of graduates in the most prevalent job were humanities/humanistic studies (5.0% worked as retail salespersons and visual merchandisers) and mass communication/media studies (5.0% worked as store shelf stockers, clerks and order fillers).

For women, the lowest concentration was among graduates of general studies, 5.4% of whom were employed as retail salespersons and visual merchandisers. 

Food for thought  

These findings help high school students understand the type of job they might expect to hold at the beginning of their careers if they choose to pursue a college or CEGEP certificate or diploma in a given field of study. They make it clear that in some fields of study, the vast majority of jobs are concentrated in five or fewer occupations. By contrast, in other fields of study, the jobs one might expect to hold are much more varied and thus more difficult to pin down.