By HEIDI ULRICHSEN
In 1998, Donna Humbert earned a degree in women's studies and Spanish at Laurentian University. At the time, she wouldn't have predicted that six months later, she'd be working at Tele Tech, a Sudbury call centre.
She took the job because she needed to support her family. But Humbert, who is now a manager at Tele Tech, says her Laurentian degree helped her to get ahead in life.
?My degree helped to prepare me for other opportunities,? she says.
?From the time I started at Tele Tech, it was a little over a year until I became a manager.?
Humbert's story is not uncommon.
She is among the 97.3 per cent of Laurentian graduates who find employment within six months of graduation.
This is the highest employment rate among Ontario's 18 universities, according to a recent survey sponsored by the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities.
Humbert, 40, says she appreciates the skills learned as a mature student at Laurentian.
?I learned organization, time management, how to work well under pressure, writing skills and public speaking,? she says.
Her salary is also a lot higher than it was before she had a degree. As a child and youth worker at Algoma hospital, she earned $20,000 a year less than she does now.
Sudbury lawyer Claude Lacroix is the president of Laurentian's alumni association.
He says his education provided him with a skill base that has helped him throughout his professional life.
?When you canvas alumni, you realize that all of them have received a practical education that is applicable in cross-functional situations,? he says.
The results of the survey are very encouraging, says Harley d'Entremont, vice-president academic of francophone affairs at Laurentian University.
He thinks Laurentian grads are succeeding because they get a quality education.
?We have the benefits of a medium or large sized university, but we still have small class sizes, and a lot of interaction between faculty and students,? says d'Entremont.
?I also think the environment on campus and the interaction helps them to develop both academically and personally.?
Although the rate of employment is high among all university graduates, the fact that Laurentian has the highest rate in Ontario is good for marketing, says d'Entremont.
Province-wide, 93.6 per cent of university graduates had jobs within six months.
He also thinks the survey helps to refute Laurentian's yearly low rankings in the Maclean's Guide to Canadian Universities.
?What Maclean's fails to take into consideration is that the important thing is what comes out and how well graduates do in life,? says d'Entremont.
Maclean's only looks at things like the reputation and entrance averages of a university, he says.
While the employment rate may be higher in Laurentian's professional programs, the average rate is so high that all graduates must be doing well, he says.
?With a 97 per cent average, there can't be many programs that aren't doing well,? says d'Entremont.
Most of Laurentian's graduates earn general arts or science degrees, so a specialized degree isn't necessary to get a job, he says.
But it doesn't hurt.
On June 4th, Dan Falcioni will be graduating from Laurentian's Extractive Metallurgical Engineering program.
He got offered a job at Falconbridge back in November, and will start work on Monday.
?My program is very good for for that,? he says. ?There is a co-op program, so we get placements with the government or the big companies like Falconbridge or Inco. So they already knew me. I didn't actively seek jobs. It just sort of fell in place.?
Two years after graduation, engineers earn almost $20,000 more a year than do those who have graduated from the humanities.
Falcioni, 23, recognizes that his years at Laurentian have prepared him for his career.
?I have learned time management, because I had six courses each semester,? he says.
As a striker on Laurentian's soccer team, Falcioni also learned to juggle sports with academics.
?I don't think I would have received the same education at another university, not in this program especially. It's very unique,? he says.
?I'm very happy with the way the co-op worked. I'm very lucky that I picked the right course,? says Falcioni.
