For many years, we’ve had labour shortages at the same time as many young people have had difficulty launching meaningful careers despite obtaining post-secondary education. This was called ‘The Quiet Crisis’, a situation where employers were unable to find people with the skills they needed and young adults were unable to fill those jobs, resulting in them being underemployed and unemployed.

The Quiet Crisis is no longer quiet

In recent days, Canadians have seen unemployment skyrocket with lay-offs, downsizing, and reduced work as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Unfortunately, this global health and financial crisis is likely to get worse before it gets better.

The economic uncertainty is causing some to be anxious about their employment prospects in the future. Many other have already seen their career negatively impacted by the pandemic.

What can someone without regular employment do in 2020?

During tough economic times, the answer for many is to return to university. At the York University School of Continuing Studies, we are increasing the capacity to meet this urgent need for upskilling.

If someone has a diploma or degree, they can complete a Post-Graduate Certificate full-time and fully online in only 6-8 months. We’ve never before offered these programs starting in May. In this unprecedented time, students can start in either May or September.

On the other side of this pandemic, we want to help Canadians graduate with the skills required to work in any number of highly sought-after professions.

These are unnerving times. We will get through this together.

Interested in developing specialized knowledge and continuing your education in a particular area? You can view our full list of Certificate Programs by clicking here.