August 15, 2014 | Quebec

A new Workopolis study shows that a whopping 73 per cent of Canadians are working in careers unrelated to their post-secondary education – despite spending more and more time and money on that education.

The reason behind the apparent paradox is simple: employers are less interested in education for its own sake and more focused on finding employees with career-specific skills and training.

“[Employers] are looking for where have people worked, what’s their past experience, what kind of skills do they have,” said Tara Talbot, vice-president of human resources at Workopolis during a CTV interview in August. “It’s actually less about degrees [. . .] than it is about the skill set that they would bring to the role.”

Of course, this is what CDI College has known all along. Its hands-on career-training programs focus on the hard skills students need for a career in their chosen field. Most also include a practicum placement that gives students the work experience employers demand. Not surprisingly, the majority of CDI College grads are working in their field six months after graduation.

“We’re highly adaptable to changes in the labour market and we prepare our students accordingly, says CDI College vice-president Larry Heinzlmeir. “And because our programs are so focused, our students are career-ready in months rather than years.”

In light of the Workopolis study, spending less time in school and receiving training that will actually prepare you for a specific career makes a whole lot of sense.