The Alberta government and post-secondary institutions such as the University of Calgary need to make data-informed decisions for the future. Conducted every two years, Alberta's Graduate Outcomes Survey (GOS) serves as a critical tool in shaping the future of post-secondary education and workforce development.
This comprehensive survey offers valuable insights into the experiences and trajectories of graduates.
The information gathered through GOS, under the umbrella of Alberta Ministry of Advanced Education (AE), helps determine graduates' satisfaction with their post-secondary education experiences, explore their employment outcomes, understand how they finance their education and describe the demographic profile of graduates from different fields of study.
Between January and March, CCI Research Information Technology staff will contact randomly selected graduates, from Alberta’s publicly funded post-secondary institutions, who completed their programs during the 2021-2022 academic year, by way of email or phone call.
Survey participants will also have a chance to enter a draw to win gift cards from popular retailers like Amazon.ca, Tim Hortons, Starbucks, Indigo, Cineplex, Google Play and Ultimate Dining Card.
Results of the previous GOS conducted with the Class of 2019-20 provided significant insights into the post-secondary education landscape at that time. These results highlighted the multifaceted aspects of post-secondary experiences and their profound impact on subsequent journeys through early professional, academic and community life.
Graduate employment and educational experience satisfaction rates are among several metrics used as key performance indicators and program evaluation metrics at UCalgary. Such insights help institutions like UCalgary with strategic planning, enhancing academic offerings, improving student services and developing support systems to ensure that graduates are well equipped to participate in Alberta’s future.
Graduate employment rates also serve as one of several inputs to the province’s Investment Management Agreements, which help to determine the university’s performance-based funding envelope. In the most recent GOS cycle, UCalgary graduates reported an employment rate of more than 96 per cent, with 95 per cent of employed graduates in jobs closely aligned to the skills they developed in their programs.
Graduates play a critical role by actively participating in this survey, contributing to the ongoing improvement of educational programs, ensuring that the system remains responsive to the needs and aspirations of students while fostering meaningful connections with the workforce.
Graduates from Class of 2021-2022 are encouraged to watch for invitations as their voice matters in shaping the future of education in Alberta.
