The country's unemployment rate hits a 43 year low of 5.6 percent in December, and the economy added over 65,000 jobs. Numbers like these paint a picture of a healthy job market where workers have plenty of choices. Unfortunately, for many coming out of College or University that doesn't include jobs that fit the skills they have been training for.

Southeast College's Sheena Onrait has a forward-thinking solution, "When it comes to the unemployment rate, Southeast College looks at that in one of our decision making factors in which upcoming programs we are going to offer in the upcoming years." Onrait expressed the issue is high demand for workers with particular skills and expertise,  "We also, take in a number of other factors such as you know what is happening in our region economically, are there any new projects that might require trained workers. What do the job prospects look like in our region for the next 3 to 5 years? So we decide which programs we are going to offer for the Southeast College Region. We take in all those factors into consideration. We're looking ahead 1 to 3 years, you know it's hard to judge what will change in those 1 to 3 years. But we look at the big broad picture and decide we are going to have, and how it applies to develop skilled workers in our region as a whole over the next period of time."

In regards to the role, our government's decisions play on the college Onrait adds, "A new government always impacts us on a broader scale, from a direction point. But for us, we tend to stick with what's worked for us in the past. And we tend to stick with the procedures that we follow each year when it comes to deciding which programs to offer. So I can't say for sure if a different government would impact us a whole lot operationally."

When we hear of job vacancies, it suggests there's lots of choice for workers. But not all unfilled positions are ones that people can afford to take, because those jobs may not offer the salary, stability or benefits workers need. Looking ahead to what is in high demand, may be the best way of pursuing an education in the near future.