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Research

International Students’ Transition to Work

International college students tend to have poorer employment outcomes than their Canadian-born peers. Except for those in STEM fields, international college graduates earn 15 to 23 percent less after graduation. They face multiple labour market barriers, including challenges with networking, language, discrimination, and job interviews.

To understand how colleges can innovate to help improve the employment outcomes of international college students, we: 

  • surveyed 1,002 final-year international college students and recent international college graduates;
  • interviewed 42 final-year international college students and recent graduates and 42 public college staff working in international student services, career services, and experiential learning.
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Key insights

We found that participation in career services was linked to several positive employment outcomes for international college students and graduates, including higher levels of job satisfaction and increased likelihood of having Canadian work experience.

Despite the clear benefits of career services, over a third of international college students we surveyed have not used them. Common barriers for international college students include difficulty accessing information on relevant programs and services.

Colleges can leverage peer support networks to create formal peer mentorship programs within career services. These programs can ensure that students receive consistent and accurate information while offering professional development and paid opportunities for international student mentors.

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