Maritime universities 'largely delivering' on expectations

Universities got best results in personal growth categories

Image | University students

Caption: Recent Maritime university graduates were hoping to be better prepared for the job market. (CBC)

University helped graduates grow as people, but fell short of expectations in job training, according to a survey by the Maritime Provinces Higher Education Commission.
The study captured 2,413 university-bound grade 12 students in 2014, and compared the results to a survey of 1,578 2012 university graduates at the same time.
The study found expectations were largely met in areas such as helping the student to grown as a person or gaining an in depth knowledge of a particular subject, but not as when it came to being prepared for the workforce.

Image | Student university expectations chart

(CBC/Google charts)

MPHEC chair Jean-Francois Richard said two years after graduations many of those surveyed were still making a transition to the workforce, pursuing graduate studies or a professional degree.
"Once these graduates have made their transition to the labour market, then their experiences may align more closely with the workforce-related expectations of high school students," he said.

Image | Student university expectations chart

(CBC/Google charts)

Richard was pleased with how university met expectations for general life preparation.
"For these important components of a university education, institutions in our region are largely delivering on students' expectations", he said.
Maritime universities exceeded expectations in how they would help students grow as people, and scored lowest in giving them a chance to earn a good income.