Retention and Mobility of NBCC Graduates: 2017 to 2019 Graduate Cohorts

Abstract

Migration from rural and small-town areas to larger urban centers has been a long-standing trend, and as of July 2021, more than half of New Brunswick’s total population lives in either Moncton, Saint John, or Fredericton.This is part of a global migration trend whereby people, mostly young adults, are choosing to leave rural and small towns for larger urban areas.

With a median age of 27, New Brunswick Community College (NBCC) graduates comprise the demographic most likely to make this migration decision. The locations of NBCC campuses – three in larger cities and three in small-town areas – also make its graduates a good sample to observe when investigating rural to urban migration decisions. As such, this study reports on the intra-provincial migration trends of NBCC graduates by their campus for the 2017 to 2019 graduation cohorts. Graduate mobility is discussed 1 and 3 years after graduation, showing which NBCC campus’s graduates are more or less likely to remain in or migrate from New Brunswick after graduation.