Assiniboine keeping and attracting skilled people to Manitoba

The vast majority of Assiniboine grads choose to live and work in Manitoba—even those w5ho come to Assiniboine from outside the province.

“Our programs align with Manitoba’s labour market needs and that’s a big part of why Assiniboine grads stay here,” said Mark Frison, President of Assiniboine College.

Last year’s graduates (2024-25) were surveyed nine months after graduation and 96 per cent were living in Manitoba. Only 63 per cent of graduates that year originated in Manitoba. That’s significant population gain for Manitoba due to Assiniboine programs.

Four years after graduation, the story remains the same, with 90 per cent of grads remaining in Manitoba. This marks another substantial gain—of the graduating class from 2021-22, only 75 per cent were originally from Manitoba.

“Both stemming outmigration and growing the population are top priorities for us,” said Frison. “We have an important role to play in ensuring skilled, trained people chose Manitoba as a place to live and work.”

“Not long ago, Manitoba had the lowest post-secondary participation rate in the country. With more programs in more locations, there is greater accessibility, and thus more people are entering post-secondary training. That’s good for the province,” added Frison. “I’m proud of the contributions the college has made to growing our economy. Train and retain – that’s what we do. And this illustrates that there are tangible investments that can be made to attract and retain skilled youth.”

The five-year average of graduates staying in the province four years after graduating is 89 per cent. Of graduates from Manitoba, 98 per cent report still living here nine months after graduation. For those not originally from here, the number staying remains high at 93 per cent.

“We are thrilled to see post-secondary graduates keeping their talents here in Manitoba,” said Renée Cable, Minister of Advanced Education and Training. “Manitoba has real opportunity for those with industry-ready training, especially in high-demand fields like health care and skilled trades. To new and future post-secondary graduates, we welcome you to make your home in Manitoba and we thank you for being an important part of building Manitoba’s economy.”

Assiniboine graduates are getting jobs. Nine months after graduation, 91 per cent of graduates have jobs, making an average income of $52.6K annually.

Four years out, again, the college sees high graduate employment with 97 per cent of graduates from 2021/22 reporting to have jobs, making an average $67.9K—a 23 per cent increase from when they were surveyed three years earlier.