As the school year nears its end, many students are leaving the halls of Humber College, diploma in hand, ready to start a career. They are armed with the knowledge, the know-how and the skills for success. But one thing many are unprepared for are the realities of the job market.
In recent years, much attention has been thrust upon the difficulties of finding a job, with widespread layoffs and cutbacks across the country. While this sparks feelings of worry and anxiety for some, others remain confident and simply repeat the childhood mantra of  ‘I can do anything.’ But it isn’t as simple as it seems. The job market is tough.
In the recent provincial budget, the Ontario government invested an additional $310 million to add 20,000 new spaces to colleges and universities. As well, the province unveiled a plan to aggressively promote Ontario’s post-secondary institutes abroad in an effort to attract and (hopefully) retain some of the brightest minds in the world. While the foundation for a successful society is there, these investments leave us with some legitimate concerns: will there be enough jobs or will the job market simply become oversaturated with overqualified grads unable to find jobs that utilize their skills?
As far as work is concerned, Humber boasts some pretty impressive numbers. According to the college’s 2008 Graduate Report nine out of 10 grads found employment within in six months of graduation, this includes full-time, part-time, temporary, contract and freelance positions. It would seem as though Humber grads are set for success. But look a little closer at the numbers and some may be in for an (unpleasant) surprise. These numbers include not only grads who have found work relevant to their field of study but unrelated as well. In many programs, the number of  grads finding full-time, related work teeters on the halfway mark.
Before the province concentrates on arming more people with higher education and attracting top minds from around the world, more effort and money should go into job creation. Nobody wants or expects to be the college or university grad behind the counter asking ‘would you like fries with that?’