Apparently even if one has a bachelor’s degree, vocational programs sometimes look attractive. According to a piece by Karen Birchard in the Chronicle of Higher Education:
[Abdullah Muhaseen] enrolled in a public college to become a paramedic. The University of Toronto graduate is part of a growing trend in Canadian higher education. Driven in part by the slouching job market, the country’s colleges are seeing a rise in applications from people who have already received degrees from leading universities.
Public colleges in Canada offer a variety of vocational programs, including one- and two-year courses similar to what U.S. community colleges provide.
University graduates in Canada do this because they’re weary of unemployment. And, unlike in the U.S., Canada’s community colleges are a direct route to job placement. Muhaseen’s school boasts a 90 percent job placement rate.
The article is a little vague on how series a trend this is, though an administrator at one Canadian technical college said that people with bachelor’s degrees made up 15 percent of full-time students and half of part-time students. Looking to take advantage of a rather unfortunate trend in Canada’s economy, some vocational colleges are now recruiting new students by attending job fairs held at Canada’s universities. [Image via]
