Trine’s Class of 2016 posts 99.3% employment rate

Trine University’s Class of 2016 had 99.3 percent of its graduates employed or continuing their education within six months of graduation.

This marks the third year in a row the university has posted an employment rate of 98 percent or higher. Trine had a 98.8 percent employment rate for its 2015 graduates and a 99.7 percent rate for the Class of 2014, for a three-year average of 99.3 percent.

The Class of 2016 also saw 95.1 percent either employed in a field related to their major or continuing their education. That figure is the highest in Trine University’s history and a more than 2 percent increase from 2015, according to Jason Blume, executive director of Innovation One, which includes Trine’s Employment Resource Center.

“The continued high employment rate, and particularly the high number who are working in their field of study, shows that businesses and organizations recognize the quality of graduates produced at Trine University,” said Earl D. Brooks II, Ph.D., Trine president.

The university’s Ketner School of Business and mechanical engineering major – the largest single major at Trine – each saw 100 percent employment for the fourth straight year. The university’s Franks School of Education had previously announced its fourth year of 100 percent employment.

Trine University’s first class of biomedical engineering graduates also enjoyed 100 percent employment, as did the Jannen School of Arts & Sciences, marking the highest employment rate in that school’s history.

Blume attributed at least part of the university’s success to its focus on matching employers at career events with the majors of its students, noting that more than 100 companies or organizations have participated in career fairs at Trine this fall, with another 50 scheduled to take part in the spring career fair. He said the university is building employer partnerships with regional companies that value the combination of Trine’s rigorous academic programs with hands-on learning.

“We are targeting our career efforts toward our student population to make sure we are bringing the companies to campus who are recruiting the skills that our programs produce,” he said.

Among other key factors Blume noted are that 90 percent of Trine University students participate in an internship, co-op or experiential learning while enrolled at Trine, and an increased focus on including real-world projects in the curriculum in recent years.

“All these combine for a more desirable graduate when entering the job market,” Blume said.

Of Trine’s 2016 graduates, 73.6 percent were employed by companies in the Great Lakes region – the states of Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin.

The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) reported an 85.5 percent employment or continuing education rate nationally for the Class of 2015. Figures for the Class of 2016 will be released in June 2017. The rate for the Great Lakes region was 87.6 percent for 2015.