Sault College gets feedback

NEW RELEASE

SAULT COLLEGE

************************* Sault College graduates get jobs and give satisfaction rate top ranking

SAULT STE. MARIE, ON (April 9, 2008) - Sault College graduates continue to have a distinct edge in the province in post-secondary education.

Results of the just-released Key Performance Indicator (KPI) results found that Sault College graduates gave their alma mater the top ranking of all college graduates in the province of Ontario, with a graduate satisfaction rate of 87.2 percent.

One of the reasons may be because in the job market, 89.5 percent of Sault College graduates who entered the labour force found employment within six months, according to the provincial KPI results released today.

Furthermore, employers give Sault College graduates top marks, with 96.3 percent of surveyed employers expressing satisfaction with graduates hired within the past year, ranking Sault College second in the province among colleges, second only to College Boreal, who has moved into the top spot the College has held two years in a row.

"Sault College continues to provide students with the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in today's high-tech workplace," said Max S. Liedke, chief financial officer. "The results show that Sault College graduates play a vital role in Ontario's prosperity and will be even more essential as the province faces a serious shortage of skilled workers over the next 20 years."

The KPI data are released annually.

The KPIs, which measure the success rates and satisfaction levels for students and graduates, are collected by two independent research firms for the colleges and for the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.

In recent years, the KPIs have found high approval ratings among students, graduates and employers, and that trend continued in this data, which were collected from March 2007 to February 2008.

The most recent findings for Sault College were:

- 96.3 percent of employers were satisfied with the quality of the educational preparation of college graduates

- 89.5 percent of college graduates found employment within six months of graduation

- 87.2 percent of graduates were satisfied with the usefulness of their college education in achieving their goals after graduation

- 74.8 percent of students were satisfied with the overall quality of services, programming and resources available to them.

College graduates have a big advantage in the job market, noting that a third of Ontario's workforce - 2.1 million people - has a college qualification, the largest group in the workforce.

Sault College is working with the Ontario government and other partners to attract greater numbers of students to help the province meet the challenge of a growing skills shortage.

The Conference Board of Canada estimates Ontario could be short more than 360,000 skilled workers by 2025.

"The KPI data underscores the important contribution colleges and their graduates are making to Ontario," said Liedke. "We are building on this success to ensure Ontario has the skilled workforce it needs for future growth and prosperity."

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