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Stats of the month in higher education.

59% of first-generation students in Canada enrolled in post-secondary education

75% of non-first-generation students in Canada enrolled in post-secondary education

69% of first-generation students graduated compared with 74% of non-first-generation students

54% of U.S. undergraduates are first-generation students

24% of first-generation students in the U.S. graduate compared to 59% for continuing-generation students

35.1% of Canadian businesses had difficulty finding qualified candidates

72% of U.S. jobs are projected to require post-secondary education or training by 2031

69% of U.S. employers reported difficulty finding the skilled talent they need

14.3% youth unemployment rate in Canada as of April 2026

16% unemployment rate for students in Canada as of in April 2026

9.4% unemployment rate in the U.S. for youths aged 16 to 24 as of May 2026

The first-gen gap your program pages may be missing.

Statistics Canada found that 59% of potential first-generation students in Canada enrolled in post-secondary education. In the U.S., FirstGen Forward reports that 54% of undergraduates are first-generation students.

This should serve as a reminder that the student journey is full of hidden assumptions. Let us explain.

Institutions may assume prospective students understand:

➡️ Program language
➡️ Admissions timelines
➡️ Application requirements
➡️ Funding, awards, and financial aid
➡️ Who to contact when something feels unclear
➡️ What happens after they apply

For students whose families have already navigated post-secondary education, some of that knowledge is often passed down casually.

But for many first-generation students, the pathway can feel much less obvious.

This is where program content marketing plays an important role.

Clearer program marketing helps explain:

What the program is
Who it is for
What it costs
What support is available
What students can expect next

This kind of transparency helps every student, but it can be especially beneficial for students navigating higher education without inherited knowledge of how the system works.

What students really want to know about your program’s value.

When prospective students ask, “Is this a good program?” they’re also asking: “Will this help me build the skills employers are actually looking for?”

This is where many program pages have an opportunity to get clearer.

Oftentimes, program marketing leads with:

➡️ Course lists
➡️ Credential names
➡️ Faculty descriptions
➡️ Broad promises about career readiness
➡️ General statements about industry relevance

And yes, all of that has a place. But if students can’t quickly understand what they’ll learn, how those skills connect to the labour market, and why the program is worth the investment, the value story stays too abstract.

And abstract value is harder to trust.

Stronger program messaging should connect:

Curriculum to capability
Skills to confidence
Learning to labour market relevance
Student goals to program outcomes

Our advice? Don’t reduce your program to a list of job skills. Instead, help students understand how the learning connects to the future they’re actively building.

Why career outcomes should lead the conversation.

As of April 2026, the unemployment rate for youth aged 15 to 24 in Canada rose to 14.3%. For students specifically, the unemployment rate was 16.0%.

In the U.S., the unemployment rate for youth aged 16 to 24 was 9.4% as of May 2026

For higher ed marketing teams, those numbers are worth paying attention to.

Not every program needs to promise a job, and it shouldn’t unless that’s a value your institution can actually deliver on. But vague career language becomes less persuasive when students are facing a tougher labour market.

Phrases like these can all be true:

➡️ “Career-ready”
➡️ “Future-focused”
➡️ “Industry-relevant”
➡️ “Real-world learning”

But on their own? They’re typically not enough.

Students want to know:

What skills will I build?
What kinds of roles could this lead to?
How does this program connect to employer needs?
What support exists between enrolment and employment?
Why is this pathway worth choosing now?

This is where program messaging has to become more concrete.

Remember: The opportunity isn’t to make every program sound transactional. It’s to communicate outcomes clearly, and with care and credibility.

How do you measure ROI in higher education marketing?

Measuring return on investment in higher education marketing requires moving beyond vanity metrics like impressions. Learn how to implement full-funnel tracking, use complex attribution models, and focus on core metrics such as cost per lead and cost per enrolled student. Discover how to connect your digital marketing spend directly to real student enrolment outcomes.

How does paid advertising drive student applications for higher education?

Paid advertising helps higher education institutions reach prospective students at key moments in their decision journey. This blog explains how you can use full-funnel paid media strategies, audience targeting, remarketing, and landing page optimization to drive more qualified leads and student applications.

How do you choose the best higher education marketing agency?

Choosing the right higher education marketing agency requires more than checking portfolios. It demands a strategy-first partner that understands the student recruitment funnel, navigates Canadian market shifts, and connects digital marketing campaigns to measurable enrolment outcomes.