Definitions

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A
Accreditation Official recognition or approval given to a person or institution that has met certain standards. Examples of accreditation: an official certificate, diploma or degree issued to someone on graduation; recognition granted to a training facility for maintaining an approved set of instructional standards.
Apprenticeship A method for learning a skilled trade through on-the-job training under the supervision of a journey-level tradesperson. Usually includes classroom training as well.
Aptitude Natural ability or capacity for learning.
Attrition Gradual reduction of a workforce as employees retire, resign or otherwise leave their jobs and the positions are not refilled.

B
Baby boom The significant increase in the number of babies born in Canada following the Second World War, during the period 1947 to 1966.
Baccalaureate Another term for Bachelor’s degree.
Bachelor’s degree Undergraduate degree of university education. Typically takes from three to five years to complete. Another term for Baccalaureate.
Balanced demand When the supply of workers matches the demand for workers.

C
Capital An overall term to describe the machinery, equipment, factories, buildings, tools and other structures or facilities used to produce goods and services.
Career (a) A person’s sequence of occupations, jobs and positions held over time. (b) A person’s chosen profession or occupation.
Career development The process of developing goals and strategies to pursue a career. A person may base that process on information acquired through research about the career and through a self-assessment of one’s skills, personality, learning style, personal values and interests.
Census A survey of all Canadians conducted every five years by Statistics Canada. The census questions provide information on basic demographic characteristics, such as age, sex, marital and common-law status, household relationships and mother tongue. The most recent Census was completed in 2016.
Certificate A formal document showing that a person has become qualified in a skill or other area of achievement, normally as the result of completing one year of full-time study or the approved equivalent of part-time study
Certification The issuing of a formal document that shows (“certifies”) that the holder has acquired a particular set of skills, knowledge and abilities. Certification is usually received after a person has completed a prescribed combination of education, training and experience in a particular area of study.
Competencies Ability to apply knowledge, skills and abilities to successfully perform an occupation. Competencies can be obtained through formal or informal education, work experience or other means.
Constant (real) dollar A means of reporting economic data by adjusting dollar values to remove the effects of price changes for a good (e.g., a litre of gasoline) or service (e.g., renewing a driver’s licence) over time.
Contract work Work undertaken by a person through a contract with an employer, full- or part time for a stated period, often on a designated task. A contract worker (or “contractor”) may be self-employed or may work for a company that has a contract with another business. The contractor supplies goods or services at an agreed price. Contract work typically involves working without employment benefits or deductions.
Credential A certificate or letter stating that a person is qualified in a particular skill or knowledge area.

D
Data A collection of facts, statistics or information, which can be descriptive (qualitative data) or numerical (quantitative data). Data are often gathered and analyzed as a way of understanding and describing why an event has occurred (e.g., a decline in school enrolments) or the characteristics of something (e.g., employment trends in a particular occupation).
Degree A qualification awarded after satisfactory completion of a program of advanced study. Examples of degrees: bachelor of science (B.Sc.); master of social work (MSW).
Demand As used in reference to the labour market, means the number and type of workers that an employer needs to be able to produce a particular quantity and type of good or service.
Demographics Information about human populations based on statistics and usually focused on the number of people and their age, sex, education level, etc.
Development regions Broad areas of the province of British Columbia for which economic and labour-related data are collected, analyzed and monitored. The eight development regions in British Columbia are: Vancouver Island/Coast, Mainland/Southwest, Thompson-Okanagan, Kootenay, Cariboo, North Coast, Nechako and Northeast. (Note: Because the populations of North Coast and Nechako are smaller, data for these regions are combined and reported for “North Coast & Nechako.”) Also known as economic region.
Diploma A qualification awarded after satisfactory completion of a program of study. Typically takes from one to three years to complete.
Distance education A means of teaching courses to students who are unable to or prefer not to attend campus- or school-based study. The Internet and other technology are often used to enable communication and the exchange of materials between instructors and students.