With youth employment still an issue, the New Brunswick Student Alliance is recommending the government take steps to ease the transition between school and real life.
Pat Joyce is the Executive Director of the NBSA and he says the problem is not just a skills gap, but also an experience gap.
He says in the past employers used to be willing to put in the resources to train new graduates in their role and upscale them in their job.
“Increasingly that responsibility has been shifted to universities,” says Joyce. “And so that’s where we see government playing a role in helping those universities close that gap and provide those skills that make students more employable.”
Joyce says the problem now is that so called entry level positions require three to five years experience, and that leaves many recent graduates in a limbo state.
He says the New Brunswick Student Alliance have made some recommendations to the government including asking for more funding for learning opportunities in unversity, as well as other investments in education.
“We also believe that the Youth Employment Fund that government has announced should be used to help students find placements that are specifically designed for highly skilled graduates who have university education and are looking for employment that allows them to use those skills they have gained in the classroom,” says Joyce.
Joyce says when it comes to helping graduates find employment after school, there are two approaches that need to be taken.
“The first is making sure the private sector and employers are providing training so that recent graduates and people that are starting early on in their careers can find a career that allows them to gain some skills they can use throughout their career and as they progress through the workforce,” says Joyce.
Joyce says the second piece of the puzzle is to capitalize on the training students already get in the classroom, and connecting it with real world learning.
He adds that will give students the ability to use skills they gained in school outside in the real world.
