Author Description

The analysis for this report is based on data from the Youth in Transition Survey (YITS). The survey was designed by Human Resources and Social Development Canada and Statistics Canada. YITS is a longitudinal survey, which collects information on educational and labour market pathways of a sample of young Canadians in the 18 to 20 age group in 1999. Respondents were asked to provide a range of information on their education and employment experiences as well as information on their personal characteristics including, for example, their educational aspirations. They were interviewed four times since the implementation of the survey, in 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2006. In this report, the data used are from the first four cycles and describe where they stood in their school to work pathway in December 2005 when they were 24 to 26 years of age. Previous research on postsecondary participation of Canadian youth found that no one factor can fully account for who goes on to postsecondary education. There was, instead, a wide variety of characteristics which distinguish youth who undertake postsecondary education from those who do not. This report will examine demographic and family characteristics, high school engagement, academic performance, and first year postsecondary experience of those who attended postsecondary education and those who did not or dropped out. Chapter 2 looks at the relationship between various demographic, family and school characteristics and youth participation in postsecondary education, with respect to the type of institution attended and the level of program taken in university (bachelors versus graduate studies). Chapter 3 analyses the relationship between the same characteristics and youth participation status in postsecondary education, that is graduates, continuers or drop outs. Chapter 4, the concluding chapter, synthesizes the findings.