Bridging Gaps: from Post-Secondary to the Workforce

Educated Solutions | Issue 19

Educated Solutions 2025 reveals that Ontario’s post-secondary students face major barriers as they transition from college to the workforce. More than half of businesses find that new graduates lack essential skills, with this gap costing the province over $24 billion in lost potential each year. Among college students, only 31% are paid for required placements, and extra fees and relocation expenses take the greatest toll on low-income, marginalized, and international students. Work-integrated learning opportunities are distributed unequally, with humanities students receiving only 2.1% of government-funded placements, while business, health, and STEM capture the majority.

Ontario Student Voices, representing over 160,000 college students, calls for better transparency in placement costs, more funding and wage subsidies, and expanded, targeted support services. The publication urges data-driven reforms so every student can access meaningful, equitable opportunities that prepare them for a changing workforce. 

Read the full publication to inform your advocacy, policy, and strategic decisions—together, we can build a system that empowers every student to transition confidently from education to employment and build a more equitable future. 

Educated_Solutions_2025_document.pdf

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