DataNB
The latest from the New Brunswick Institute for Research, Data and Training

When NB-IRDT decided to launch Pathways to Professions (P2P) back in 2020, we were faced with so much uncertainty. COVID-19 restrictions were in place, our employees were working from home, and we did not know if we could successfully run a brand new experiential program online, especially since we had only planned to host our program in-person.

Three years later, we are so glad we never gave up. Our online pilot program was a huge success and prompted us to make P2P a permanent part of our summers. Now, in 2023, we are pleased to announce the launch of the fourth annual Pathways to Professions experiential learning program. We look forward to welcoming this year’s students!

What is Pathways to Professions?

P2P is a 13-week experiential learning program, developed and run virtually by NB-IRDT, providing students with hands-on workplace experience and training in research methods and job readiness. Under the mentorship of research, communication, and policy professionals, post-secondary students employed by NB-IRDT and our partners spend their summers working on New Brunswick-relevant projects while attending a full curriculum of professional skills workshops.

In 2022, NB-IRDT piloted a new partnership with Future GNB / Avenir GNB – one that allowed P2P to expand even further and offer experiential learning opportunities to college and university students whose institutions were previously outside our reach. Through this new partnership, groups outside NB-IRDT are now able to hire students to perform their own research or evaluation projects under P2P’s administrative oversight. We are continuing our partnership with Future GNB in 2023 and are excited to announce that we are expanding this model to launch a new partnership with Ignite.

What Student Research is Taking Place in 2023?

From May-August, 22 students and five returning student-mentors will be working on research projects with NB-IRDT, Future GNB, and Ignite. Here’s a sneak peek at what NB-IRDT’s students will be doing:

BoostNB – For the fourth consecutive year, BoostNB student researchers will provide straight-forward information about the NB economy, along with their analyses of whether NB is moving toward recommended economic goals.

HousingNB – New to P2P this year, the HousingNB research stream will have student researchers providing information about NB's progress towards reaching the goals of Canada's National Housing Strategy, while creating a "data toolbox" for fellow researchers and future HousingNB students. 

VitalSignsNB – For the third consecutive year, VitalSignsNB students will be focusing on healthcare in NB. This year, VitalSignsNB students will be working on two different projects:

1. An examination of the practice of midwifery in NB – describing the services provided by NB midwives, characterizing midwifery clients, and comparing select outcomes between midwifery clients and mothers who do not make use of midwifery services – to establish methods for studying midwifery in NB using administrative data.
2. A comparison of different methods for identifying diabetes cases to improve understanding of the strengths and limitations associated with the use of administrative data to study chronic disease in NB and support informed decision making and data interpretation by researchers.

NB-IRDT will be releasing spotlights on all the P2P teams (including Future GNB and Ignite), so make sure you subscribe to our newsletter to be notified when their findings become available. Want to learn more about P2P? You can read about previous student research and workshop offerings in each year’s Program in Review (2020, 2021, 2022).