All trained up and nowhere to go

'There's always going to be work for engineers, but you don't know where work's going to be'

Newfoundland and Labrador's young people are leaving.They primarily leave to find jobs that suit them and their lifestyle. Margaret Harvey/Kicker

Margaret Harvey Kicker

It's no secret Newfoundland and Labrador is losing its young people. The jobs and lifestyles available don't appeal to many of them - so they leave to find what they want.

Sarah White is one of the graduates from this year's Memorial University engineering faculty. Because the province's job market does not have enough employment opportunities, she is planning to leave in order to find a job that suits her.

"I don't think there are as many [jobs in the province] as people graduating," she said.

This graph displays the increasing number of engineering undergraduates. In 1997 there were 118 graduates; in 2018 there were 323. Margaret Harvey/Kicker

And she wasn't always confident she would find a job.

"I didn't know for sure. I always thought that I wouldn't have much issue getting a job. I mean, it definitely shifted from 'There's definitely going to be jobs for me here in Newfoundland when I graduate,' to 'OK, well, my position is highly specialized and right now - within the last year - there's been a large growth of shipbuilding in Canada.'"

While White, an oceans and naval architecture engineer, originally wanted to stay in the province, she realized two years into her program that she would definitely have to leave the province if she wanted to get a job in her discipline.

"I always told Mom I didn't want to apply for any of the oil and gas positions 'cause I'm not interested in it," she said. "That's just what I want to do, but that's all that was here."

Although her mother wants her to stay, her father - a civil engineer technician - told her that her best chance was to leave.

"He's always been on 'Team Leave," White said.

As an oceans and naval architecture engineer, White is trained to design ships. She says it's ironic there is more ship building happening on the mainland rather than on the island of Newfoundland. Margaret Harvey/Kicker

Lynn Gambin, an assistant professor of economics at MUN, said it's unfortunate for our province that the job market can't keep up with the number of engineering graduates.

It's important for our province to have opportunities for young people coming out with fresh sets of skills and bright eyes to make sure we don't lose and we don't have that kind of brain drain," she said.

White says while there are jobs in the province for mechanical and civil engineers, there seems to be a shift towards computer and electrical engineers.

"It seems to me there is a lot more openings here for them. I would say that half of the computer engineers will go, and half will stay."

Charlie Price is a 2018 mechanical engineer MUN graduate living in Calgary. He said that although there are jobs here for him in the province, they are few and far between and he didn't want to settle for a job he didn't want.

Price had job options in Newfoundland. He ultimately decided moving away was his best chance. Photo illustration by Margaret Harvey/Kicker

"When I was applying for jobs, I was applying based on if I wanted it," he said.

Price added on that the jobs he wanted were with companies that invested time and resources to help their employees grow and develop their skills.

But during his program, Price says he wasn't really thinking about possible job prospects. He says he wasn't worried. What mattered to him was his interest in engineering.

"I knew it would work itself out from there."

In the end, Price ultimately decided moving away was his best choice even though there were options for him in Newfoundland.

Price added that he knew a couple of people that managed to luck out and get a job in the province following their work terms.

"It's being in the right place at the right time."

Diversifying the job market

Gambin says she isn't sure the Newfoundland and Labrador economy and job market is diverse enough to keep young people in the province.

Lynn Gambin is apart of the economics faculty at MUN. She says it's unfortunate Newfoundland and Labrador can't keep up with the number of engineering graduates. Margaret Harvey/Kicker

She says that in order for young people to branch out of the popular faculties such as engineering, the education system needs to work on informing youth of possible career paths they can take, so that they aren't all doing the same thing.

"Universities can do more to outreach and post-secondary institutions like the college can do more to identify - in terms that young people can understand - what occupations and what new exciting opportunities there are, too," Gambin said. "So they're not just fixated on 'How much is my salary going to be?' but think about what the job is and what it means for your standard of living overall.

"Let them see what the jobs are and know what they're getting into," she said. "Exposing young people in schools to different occupations and jobs early on, I think, is really important."

Coming back home

While White hasn't even left yet, she knows it wouldn't take much for her to stay.

"My dad's been telling me the whole way through [my program] 'There's always going to be work for engineers' but, you don't know where work's going to be."

If the right job landed in her lap, White says, she would jump at the chance. A job in her discipline is the key thing to make her stay, and she's not alone.

While looking to the near future, Price says the only thing he would return to the province for would be a job he likes just as much, if not more, than the one he has now.

In the long-term, however, he said that there are opportunities to get a position here in the province once he's been established.

White says that she imagines once she establishes her job away and starts a family there is going to be a lot more to consider about coming back, given that it's not just her job she would have to think about.

"I have a feeling that once I get up and connected to the mainland with everything, it's going to take a lot more to bring me back home."