Carleton has been selected as one of the top 10 Canadian universities for graduate employability in 2019, according to a report from this year by QS World University Rankings.
The report, “10 of the Best Canadian Universities for Graduate Employability in 2019,” uses a criterion comprised of five graduate employability measures.
These employability measures are employer reputation, alumni outcomes, partnerships with employers per faculty, employer-student connections, and graduate employment rate.
According to the report, Carleton’s tenth-place ranking out of all Canadian universities highlights how Carleton “is active in promoting its students’ employability, with many opportunities to take part in co-op programs, volunteer work in the community, and other on- and off- campus work experiences.”
Greg Aulenback, manager for the university’s strategic initiatives office of the vice-president (students and enrolment), said experiential learning within the university’s programs is important.
“Making this top 10 list is an affirmation that our students are graduating ready to work and to make a difference,” Aulenback said.
“Our focus on experiential learning and new partnerships with companies such as Shopify are providing students with distinctive educational experiences that enhance their employability.”
Aulenback also said Carleton is currently expanding its experience-based learning programs.
He added the school will be hiring a specialist who, by working with different faculties, will create more opportunities for workplace experience embedded in academic courses.
Justin Kernot, a master’s student of applied science in aerospace engineering, said the university’s emphasis on work placement opportunities is the main reason for impressive graduate employability.
Kernot said his three co-op placements during his undergraduate degree “kind of tied everything together.”
“It definitely helped me realize what opportunities in engineering that I could pursue because I know now what skill set I actually have,” he added.
“Once I leave my graduate studies, I have [three co-op placements] in my back pocket to throw on a résumé,” Kernot added.
“Hopefully that’s going to make me more employable.”
According to the university’s co-op website, Carleton will continue to improve graduate employability by ensuring that the “nearly 3,000 students in co-op work terms each year” have the skills and experience necessary to succeed in their field.
Tomás del Solar Gunn, a Carleton alumnus with a master’s degree in political science, is an example of Carleton’s positive alumni outcomes.
“That [top 10] designation speaks for itself in terms of the quality of the professors and students at Carleton,” he said in an email.
“Carleton helped shape the skills and experiences necessary for me to find employment in my field, even before I graduated,” he added.
“Carleton’s competitive co-op program [helped] me gain valuable work experience with Natural Resources Canada, which I was able to transform into a long-term career opportunity as a policy analyst.”
Photo by Lauren Hicks
