Trine Class of 2017 sees 99% percent employed; more working in region

Six months after graduation, 99.0 percent of the Trine University Class of 2017 is employed or in graduate school, with an increasing number working in Indiana and the Great Lakes Region.

According to statistics compiled by the university’s Employment Resource Center, Trine also saw continued growth in the number of graduates obtaining jobs related to their field of study.

 “Trine University is proud to be part of the state of Indiana and the Great Lakes Region, and to contribute to this region through our growing facilities and programs, and, increasingly, the impact of our alumni,” said Earl D. Brooks II, Ph.D., Trine University president. “As we partner with other organizations to improve the quality of place and quality of life in this region, it’s heartening to see the growing number of graduates who see the many benefits of working here and choose to make their home in and near the Hoosier state.”

This marks the fourth year in a row the university’s graduates have achieved an employment rate of 98.8 percent or above.

Trine saw significant increases in the number of its graduates employed in Indiana and in the Great Lakes Region, which includes Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin. Trine’s Class of 2017 had 86.3 percent employed in the Great Lakes Region, up 12.7 percent from 2016, and 57.3 percent in Indiana, up 11.5 percent from the prior year.

The university also continued its trend of having more graduates employed in fields related to their major, with 96.6 percent of Trine’s Class of 2017 reporting employment or continuing education in their major, up from 95.1 percent for the Class of 2016.

“The data shows that Trine is not only continuing to produce graduates who are in high demand by employers, but also equipping a greater number of students to get a start in the career they want,” said Jason Blume, executive director of Innovation One, which includes the Employment Resource Center.

The university’s four-year rolling average of employment stands at 99.2 percent. The national average for the Class of 2016 was 81 percent, according to the National Association of Colleges Employers. The organization will not release statistics for the Class of 2017 until September 2018.

Trine’s Jannen School of Arts and Sciences, Franks School of Education and Rinker-Ross School of Health Sciences all achieved 100 percent employment for their Class of 2017 graduates.