Bridging the Gap: Education and Skills Alignment in Durham Region

Unlocking Potential Through Education

Durham Region’s workforce is well-educated, more so than the provincial and national averages. Among survey respondents aged 25 to 64, 69.6% have completed post-secondary education, with 67% holding a Bachelor’s degree or higher—a figure well above the Canadian average. This impressive educational attainment reflects the strong presence of local post-secondary institutions, including Ontario Tech University, Durham College, and Trent University, Durham/GTA.

Where Are These Skills Located?

Interestingly, the municipalities with the highest levels of post-secondary attainment among respondents were not the largest urban centres, but Scugog and Uxbridge—two of the region’s smaller communities. In contrast, Clarington showed the lowest share of university-educated respondents, despite being home to parts of the Queen’s Lakeridge Family Medicine Program.

What Are People Studying?

The top fields of study were:

  • Business, Management, and Public Administration (26%)
  • Education (10%)
  • Social Sciences and Law (10%)
  • Health-Related Fields (9%)
  • Math, Computer, and Info Sciences (6%)

This mix aligns with growing sectors in the local economy—but there’s still a need to ensure these credentials translate into meaningful employment.

Matching Talent to Opportunity

Despite high education levels, many unemployed or underemployed individuals cite a lack of hands-on experience as a barrier to re-entering the workforce. This highlights the importance of experiential learning, apprenticeships, and community-employer partnerships to bridge the gap between education and employment.

Durham Region has a skilled, well-educated population. The challenge isn’t quantity—it’s alignment. Strategic investments in experiential training and stronger links between education and employment will ensure local talent stays local.

About the DWA:

The DWA creates an annual plan supplying helpful information for community planning. The DWA hosts Jobs First Durham (JFD) a boutique job board with hyper-local information.

The DWA provides just-in-time custom labour market information and often conducts custom fee-for-service research. If you are interested in local data, please don’t hesitate to contact the DWA.

The Province of Ontario partially funds the DWA to supply Labour Market Information (LMI) to the Region of Durham.