Career Pathfinder
Data Sources and Methodology
Overview of Student Outcomes Surveys
Each year, the B.C. government and public post-secondary institutions survey thousands of recent graduates to determine labour force outcomes. Results by occupation or program are based on responses of these new entrants to the labour force. Data on this page is based on trends observed over time: occupational outcomes are related to educational program taken. More information on B.C. Student Outcomes can be found on the web. http://outcomes.bcstats.gov.bc.ca/Default/Home.aspx
Graduates Included in Career Pathfinder
The graphic below illustrates the proportion of graduates included in the Career Pathfinder. Data from the five most recent survey years for each of the three surveys utilized are included to ensure the full spectrum of occupations that graduates go into are represented. There were almost 193,000 graduates from B.C.’s apprenticeship programs (public and private), and public certificate, diploma, advanced diploma, associate degree, university transfer, bachelor’s, post-degree certificate and diploma programs. Master’s degree and Doctoral degree graduates are not included, nor are those who complete certificate, diploma, post-degree certificate, or post-degree diploma programs at research universities (UBC, SFU, UVIC, UNBC, RRU, and TRU). International students are generally only included if they have a telephone number based in Canada or the USA or an email address.
The response rate for the five most recent survey years averaged 56%, yielding nearly 109,000 survey respondents. As the main focus of the Career Pathfinder is newer entrants to the labour market, graduates aged 17 to 34 at the time of the survey are included, accounting for 78% of all survey respondents.
Graduates aged 17 to 34 who were working (full- or part-time) and not pursuing further studies, or working full-time while pursuing further studies were included—these graduates makeup 74% of those aged 17 to 34. Graduates who were working part-time while pursuing further studies are not included, as it is assumed that their primary focus is studying, not working, and that their part-time occupation may have nothing to do with their formal education and the occupational outcome that ultimately results from their post-secondary credential. Former students who substantially completed their program of study but did not graduate (also known as near completers) are also not included.
All percentages are weighted to give progressively greater weight to more recent survey years, thereby giving the most emphasis to recent trends in occupational transitions. All counts (or n-values) reflect the unweighted number of graduates and survey respondents.
Occupations and Education Programs Selected
For each education program, the 10 most common occupations worked by graduates were selected, provided there were at least 10 survey respondents for all credentials combined and the 10 most common occupations account for at least 33 percent of the total number of graduates of the program that were employed. Occupations are not reported where the unweighted count is less than 3, the unweighted count and the weighted count are less than 3 or the weighted count is less than 1. If the percentage for the 11th occupation is identical to the 10th, the selection process is stepped backwards until a greater percentage is reached, reducing the number of occupations reported. Results by credential are not reported if the unweighted count for the occupation is less than 3, regardless of where the occupations falls in the 10 most common occupations; however, the results by credential are included in the total for the education program.
For each occupation, the selection process for the 10 most common education programs that led to employment in the occupation is identical to the process used for selecting the 10 most common occupations, with the variables of interest reversed.
The five years of survey data contain 498 of the 520 occupations contained within the National Occupational Classification (NOC) system. After selecting the top 10 occupations for each education program and ensuring that those occupations represent at least 33 percent of graduates of the program that were employed, 333 are reported. These 333 occupations account for 69% of the nearly 63,000 survey respondents included in the Career Pathfinder (or 50% of all survey respondents aged 17 to 34). Likewise, 149 of the 198 education programs in the survey data were selected as the 10 most common programs for each occupation, with the provision that at least 33 percent of graduates employed in the occupation are represented by the programs selected. Almost 8 in 10 (78%) survey respondents included in the Career Pathfinder are represented by the 150 education programs selected (or 56% of all survey respondents aged 17 to 34).
Previous Education
For B.C.’s apprenticeship credentials (public and private), and public certificate, diploma, advanced diploma, associate degree, and university transfer credentials survey respondents who indicated they had a previous credential at the time of the survey are reported. This information is not available for those with bachelor degrees as this question is not asked in the Baccalaureate Graduates Survey.
Further Education
The proportion of all graduates aged 17 to 34 who had taken or were taking further studies since leaving their education program are reported. For this indicator, graduates who are working part-time while pursuing further studies are added to those included in Career Pathfinder, as are graduates who are not currently working. Having all graduates included allows users to see the full spectrum of transition to the labour market, as well as the transition to further education.
