Posts tagged with job.
The unique after-graduation job guarantee
The University of Regina has unveiled its latest weapon in the university arms race; an after-graduation employment guarantee. The "UR Guarantee" promises students will find "great," "meaningful" employment in a field related to their degree within six months of graduation or the university will provide them with a tuition waiver for an additional year of education at URegina.
Upon receiving the news release announcing the guarantee, I emailed URegina asking it to send me the fine print. What's the catch?
The catch is students must jump a lot of hoops to qualify for the guarantee. From the university's website: "you will be asked to maintain a job search/networking log, complete a professional portfolio (résumé, job search letter, search plan and 20-40 employer contacts) and fulfill other job search requirements." There are more requirements to meet during your academic career such as extra-curricular involvement and maintaining a B-level academic average.
None of these requirements are unreasonable to achieve, they are all things undergraduate students should be striving for. In short, there is no poison pill hidden in the fine print.
The "UR Guarantee" has the potential to revolutionize Canada's undergraduate focused universities. If URegina increases its out-of-province enrolment in the next year; Atlantic universities will be forced to follow suit to compete in the lucrative Southern Ontario market. This will create a domino effect as Ontario universities such as Trent, Windsor, and Brock are forced to follow suit.
For those opposed to career-focused university education, this new guarantee is a setback, but the old style "education for the sake of education" model died after World War II when universities stopped primarily being playgrounds for the children of aristocracy. This guarantee formalizes an existing reality.
The formalization of career-oriented education will force universities to invest more resources in student services. Universities need to protect themselves from liability. No university wishes to lose a legal case because they failed to provide the necessary supports for a student to meet the standards of this pact.
I've been an outspoken critic of universities investing in immaculate residences, athletic facilities, and stadiums to attract students. The resources wasted on both the construction and long term costs of operating these facilities could've been better spent by increasing academic support. I understand why universities engaged in this art race; they couldn't think of other ways to attract students. I'm relieved this arms race appears to be coming to a close.
If I were shopping for an undergraduate education today, would the UR Guarantee change my mind? I'm not sure. Regina wasn't considered when I decided on my university. This offer would make me at least look.
Factor in the bleak economic outlook in Ontario; I could see myself moving into a province where they will be jobs available when I graduate in four years.
Saskatchewan is on the rise in Canada and URegina just established itself on the national landscape.
Tagged with
regina,
job,
graduation,
guarantee
| Comments (9)
| 
JOEY COLEMAN