Hassam Munir | Executive Editor (Online)
Featured image: Many factors, aside from a school’s reputation, impact the chances of students landing a job in their field after graduation. | Manal Rahim
Local recruiters have named York the fifth-best university in Canada in terms of preparing graduates for the workplace. The ranking was published by Times Higher Education, a United Kingdom-based magazine which covers news relating to higher education worldwide, in November 2016.
U of T, McGill and the University of British Columbia took the top three spots in the ranking, while York was tied with McMaster and Queen’s in fifth place. Overall, Canada was ranked fourth in terms of the employability of its university graduates, behind the United States, Germany and the United Kingdom.
The ranking is part of the results of a six-year research project conducted by Times Higher Education, or THE, in conjunction with the human resources consulting firm Emerging and the employment research group Trendence.
Rankings of universities have increasingly come under scrutiny. In a 2010 opinion piece, York professor Paul Axelrod described such rankings as “superficial and defective” and listed six detailed criticisms of them, questioning their objectivity and the way they overlook the individualistic experiences of university students.
Some recent York graduates, in the light of their own postgraduation experiences, are not putting much faith into the current THE ranking, either.
“I was personally quite surprised to see York ranked fifth for employability,” says York alumnus Talha Tanveer.
“I happen to know many graduates from various programs at York who would disagree with that ranking. Either the ranking is way off, or other graduates throughout Canada just have it really bad.
“Either way, I hope no one makes their decision to enrol at York based on this ranking.”
Tanveer thinks such rankings may not take into account how people’s careers advance over the years in terms of salary, positions and other factors.
“People often don’t go to university just to get an entry-level position. They go to university hoping it will set them up for success and enhance their careers in the long term. Thus, a ranking which informs you how likely it is to get an entry-level position after graduation might not be as useful as people think,” argues Tanveer.
“I strongly believe that the ranking reflections hold only a little bit of merit,” says York alumnus Farhan Rahman.
“I believe the factor that determines the employability of an individual is the individual [themself].” Rahman, who landed a job at the Reconciliations Department at RBC Capital Markets shortly after graduating, feels that a potential employee’s university affiliation is becoming largely irrelevant to recruiters.
“Personally, I have never experienced any wayward attitudes towards me from certain employers regarding my choice of university. York has had its reputation ridiculed over the years by media, but I do not think it reflects the level and quality of education you are receiving [here].
“I believe more progressive employers understand that, and they are focusing on the individual more than they are focusing on where the individual went to school,” he says.
Tanveer asserts that both students and the university share responsibility for preparing for the job market.
“Most students go to university expecting it will better prepare them for the job market, so students naturally have some expectations from their university. York clearly tries to meet those expectations. The job fairs and workshops held by the Career Center are quite beneficial. It’s just that York can do much better.”
Tanveer believes that graduates would benefit from more co-op opportunities arranged by the university.
“There are programs at Waterloo and Laurier, for example, that virtually ‘guarantee’ co-op positions for students. That gives a huge advantage to students, and that’s something York should really consider,” says Tanveer.
