Initial transition from high school: decisions and aspirations of rural Newfoundland and Labrador youth

The purpose of this study was to provide a detailed description of the transition pathways and career aspirations of rural Newfoundland youth, the barriers they anticipated in their movement into the workplace, and, or post-secondary education, and the factors which influenced their immediate career plans. Also, to determine possible changes in the career aspirations of rural youth that may have taken place over the past six years, data obtained in 1989 from the Youth Transition Into the Labour Market Study (Sharpe & Spain, 1991) was extracted and compared to data obtained in this study. -- Individual questionnaires were administered to 192 Level III and Level IV students residing in rural communities located on the northern tip of Newfoundland and southern shore of Labrador. The data analysis was completed using the SPSSPC data analysis package for Windows. Descriptive statistics, crosstabs, and chi-squared analysis were used to summarize findings and compare differences. -- The anticipated transition patterns of these rural youth were similar to the patterns reported in other youth transition studies. Overall, the largest number planned to enroll in post-secondary education and, or planned to work. Their career choices were made based mainly on interest, although some had evidently taken future employment prospects into consideration. Many expected to work in the future, but a large number were uncertain whether or not future work and career plans would involve part-time employment coupled with collecting unemployment benefits. -- Males and females made mostly gender stereotypical career choices. However, despite this tendency, some males and females were willing to move into non-stereotypical occupational areas which had promising future outlooks. -- The most commonly perceived barrier to post-secondary education was lack of finances. Community attachment or rurality did not appear to be a barrier for most. While the closure of the cod fishery influenced the educational and employment plans of the youth, it also did not appear to be a barrier to their future aspirations. However, one-quarter of the students did indicate the closure had potentially made it financially difficult to continue their education. -- The 1995 and 1989 respondents were more similar than different in their anticipated transition pathways. The most noteworthy difference between the two groups was the higher level of uncertainty present in the 1995 sample with regards to future employment expectations. -- It is recommended that schools, post-secondary institutions and government work together to educate youth about labour market demands and future outlook of specific occupations. It is also recommended that government agencies make financial assistance more accessible to youth furthering their education