University degrees prepare students for rewarding careers

This letter to the editor was published in The Walrus on November 13, 2012

Paul Davidson
President and CEO, Association of Universities and Colleges of Canada

Ken Coates and Bill Morrison’s “The Uses and Abuses of University” (October) gives a misleading picture of the prospects for today’s graduates and the role our universities play in building Canada’s prosperity.

From 1990 to 2011, the number of jobs filled by university graduates in Canada more than doubled, from 1.9 million to 4.5 million, while job growth in the skilled trades only rose by 31 percent. Professional and management jobs grew by 1.7 million during this time, with 1.4 million filled by university graduates. The majority of job growth for those with degrees is in high-skills occupations; there is no evidence of increasing over-qualification of university graduates in the workplace, as this article suggests.

The argument is also made that while university enrolments rise, thousands of skilled trades and other technical jobs go unfilled in provinces where the economy is booming. However, since 2000 job growth for university graduates has well outpaced that for other levels of education. In fact, jobs for university grads have increased more than three times faster than for those with other education. And yes, that includes Alberta.

University graduates routinely earn higher incomes and experience more stable employment than those without a university education. During their careers, university graduates will earn up to $1 million more than a registered tradesperson or a college grad working full time.

Coates and Morrison’s argument does not reflect the facts, and may mislead young people, their parents, and guidance counsellors who are charting a course for the future.

-30-

Read other related letters to the editor in response to the Walrus article.