Abby Blinch | IN FOCUS REPORTER

Almost three-quarters of computer programmer (CP) graduates are employed according to the 2006 Key Performance Indicator (KPI) report.

This report is based on graduates in the summer and fall of 2003, or winter of 2004.

“An employer will give you an opportunity if you have the right skills,” said CP co-ordinator Muthana Zouri.

Zouri keeps track of the changing computer industry so his program reflects the current market.

However, the employment rate for the CP program is still 17 per cent below the average for all of Humber which is 90 per cent.

Set to graduate in April, Shazia Pathan credits the CP program for giving her the, “latest in technology education.”

She is currently working part-time as a web developer and has a background in computer sciences from outside Canada.

The CP program not only enhanced her skills, it taught her about the Canadian “culture and work environment.”

Instead of entering the workforce in May, Pathan hopes to continue her education at Ryerson.

The KPI report does not account for students who decide to further their education after graduation.

“Most organizations have IT (information technology) infrastructure in the background, and they need somebody to manage it,” Zouri said, listing banks, hospitals, the government and retail as possible employers of CP grads.

But Zouri does not want students to come to the CP program because of the good employment rate, or because the field can be lucrative.

“IT has a wide salary range,” Zouri said. “It depends on your job title and the organization.”

He remembers a time when newspaper ads promised six figure salaries for jobs in the field and as a result people rushed to get a computer related education.

“Skills translate to better paying jobs,” he said. But you still need to move from “junior to intermediate to senior,” which takes time.