The University of Alberta is ranked among the top 100 post-secondary institutions in the world and top five in Canada when it comes to preparing students for the workforce, according to the latest global ranking of graduate employability.
The U of A is listed as 99th globally, 35th in North America and fifth nationally according to the 2021 QS Graduate Employability Rankings, based on five key indicators: employer reputation (30 per cent), alumni outcomes (25), employer-student connections (10), graduate employment rate (10) and partnerships with employers (25).
It was that final indicator – partnerships with employers – that pushed the U of A into the top 100 worldwide.
Stan Blade
Stan Blade, dean of the Faculty of Agricultural, Life & Environmental Sciences, explained that the U of A has the good fortune to be directly engaged with key sectors – across energy, health, agriculture and forestry – within the province.
“It’s not a surprise that those partnerships develop. However, this is not something that is just going to happen on its own,” said Blade. “I think our people across the university know how to connect to industry to show the value that we have when we do work with industry partners.”
He added these tight-knit relationships become evident in the investments those partners make in U of A students while they are in school and when they are ready for the workforce.
Blade said government understands the value of these relationships, pointing to a host of Alberta Innovates initiatives and programs like the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) CREATE Grants designed to work with industry to develop graduate students and help get answers to specific questions in process.
“Whether it is our students learning to be leaders from the industry and business community, or our students generating new knowledge that is being captured in publications, partnerships are very much a strength of the faculty and the university.”
In Canada, the U of A trailed only the University of Toronto (21), the University of Waterloo (24), Western University (43) and McMaster (81). Globally the top three universities were the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Stanford and the University of California, Los Angeles.
Other recent showings include a 91st showing in the 2021 NTU Ranking and a rank of 81st by the Center for World University Rankings (CWUR) – up 20 spots from the previous year. In both rankings, the U of A finished fourth in Canada.
| By Michael Brown
This article was submitted by the University of Alberta’s Folio online magazine. The University of Alberta is a Troy Media Editorial Content Provider Partner.
© Troy Media
Troy Media is an editorial content provider to media outlets and its own hosted community news outlets across Canada.
