From high school, into postsecondary education and on to the labour market

In 2020/2021, almost 354,000 young Canadians graduated from a regular high school program, with an additional 24,000 graduating from a vocational program and 9,000 graduating from a general program for adults. The pathway for young graduates from a high school program, through postsecondary education and into the labour market may be linear for some, while more circuitous for others. This fact sheet, using the latest indicators available, aims to provide insight on how young Canadians move from largely compulsory secondary education, into and through their postsecondary experiences and finally onto the labour market. Notably, while the pathways of people who complete their high school diploma later in life or through general programs for adults are interesting, they will not be explored in this paper, as its aim is to focus on the main pathways of young people's school to work transitions.

While the organization of this fact sheet follows the pathways of young people from mandatory schooling through to postsecondary and into the labour market, it does not present a cohort-based analysis, i.e. it does not follow the same people through these transitions. Instead, it presents the most up-to-date data on each of the following transitions and outcomes: (1) high school graduation; (2) postsecondary participation; (3) postsecondary pathways, including persistence and graduation rates; and (4) labour market outcomes. As this fact sheet presents the most recent data available for all the indicators it covers, not all indicators will have the same reference period.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less