According to a study by BMO Bank of Montreal, Canadian employers are looking for workers with the education to back up their passion. The company released a report earlier in the year on the hiring tendencies of business owners, and an overwhelming majority emphasized that they are more likely to hire individuals with some kind of post-secondary education over those with little training or experience.
BMO reports that 70 percent of Canadian businesses look for some kind of higher education when hiring, with a third of those employers seeking professionals with some kind of specialized training in their background. Employment rates support these findings, as the percentage of hired individuals with post-secondary education was significantly higher than those with a high school education or lower, reports The Vancouver Sun.
Qualified Workers Needed
There are a few fields throughout the nation where it pays to have invested in higher education. Statistics Canada reports that the number of jobs filled by individuals with post-secondary learning in the labour market grew from 1.9 million in 1990 to 4.4 million in 2010. That figure only looks to continue increasing, as a competitive job market and changing workforce qualifications open up more opportunities for educated workers.
While these numbers are consistent across many different industries, Canada's booming oil and gas field is seeing tremendous growth. Workers are needed to aid in this expansion, making it one of the up-and-coming sectors in the job market.
Oil and Gas Industry on the Rise
The oil and gas industry currently supports more than 500,000 jobs across the country, with over 900,000 expected to come about by 2035, according to the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers. In order to fill these jobs, companies are searching for workers with a background and education in the field.
Taking courses that offer insight into the evolving world of oil and gas can give students a leg up on the competition. Administrative workers are needed to help these businesses grow, and learning office skills, as well as oil and gas management, is the first step toward landing a job.
Students who want to strengthen their skills and gain experience before applying to various open positions in the oil and gas industry can first enroll in the business courses of the Oil and Gas Administrative Assistant program at Reeves College. For more information on the program, fill out the form on the right.