Social Mobility and the Distribution of Credentials Among Nursing and Engineering Workers

• In Event: A Special Focus on Students of Engineering

Abstract

This paper compares the distribution of credentials among Canadian workers from two regulated occupations: engineering and nursing. Its purpose is to clarify how differences in educational structures between two regulated occupational fields translate into differences in the distribution of credentials among workers. Overall, differences between engineering and nursing, with regards to credential disparities and educational bottlenecks found within the distribution of workers' credentials, show that the structure within an occupational field is a reflection of the structure within its related educational field. A solid articulation between two-year and four-year college programs, one that considers the daily realities of technical workers, shapes how social mobility can play out within an occupation.

Authors

• Eric Lavigne, University of Toronto

• Gavin Moodie, University of Toronto

• Lindsay Coppens, University of Toronto

• Juliette Sweeney, University of Toronto, OISE

• Ruth A. Childs, University of Toronto - OISE

• Leesa Mary Wheelahan, University of Toronto - OISE