The Conestoga Effect

2023 Economic and social impact report

According to a new study by economist Larry Smith, Conestoga College is “indispensable to the prosperity of the local community by helping both younger and older workers adapt to the changes and challenges of the economic environment.”

The report, Conestoga: Adapting for Prosperity III, provides an update of studies released first in 2003 and again in 2010 and 2016. It examines the impact of the institution on the local community and its economy, and evaluates recent growth in terms of meeting the region’s increasing need for a highly skilled labour force.

Highlights

Graduate cap

The annual employment income of local Conestoga graduates is at least

$4.1
billion

There are now 166,673 Conestoga graduates living in Ontario.
They add more than $6.2 billion annually to the province’s economy.

166,673 grads ad 6.2 billion annually to province
Decorative circle with people shapes
Conestoga has served more than half
the local adult population.
53.6%
​More than
5,200
Conestoga
graduates are local entrepreneurs
Conestoga is the predominant source of newly skilled workers to address continuing workforce shortages

The employment rate of Conestoga’s international graduates is almost exactly the same as Conestoga’s domestic graduates.


International and domestic employment rates are 84.8% and 85.9% respectively
Today, no other local institution has
matched the scale of Conestoga’s contribution.