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

Economic development is a key focus for researchers in New Brunswick, and this led NB-IRDT to partner with Ignite in 2023 to provide our Pathways to Professions (P2P) students with a key new experiential learning opportunity.

For 13 weeks this summer, the 2023 Ignite student team worked under the mentorship of Andrew Lockhart (Director of Economic & Entrepreneurial Growth at Ignite) to develop an economic analysis of the Fredericton Capital Region. Since its regionalization in early 2023, the Fredericton Capital Region now consists of 13 entities (local governments and rural districts) and has become part of Ignite’s economic development agenda.

As part of their P2P research, the Ignite team gathered and analyzed data primarily from 2021 and 2022 on the region’s demography, immigration, labour force, income, businesses, major industries and sectors and other relevant information. The information they gathered will help facilitate new business development, capital investment decisions and retention and attraction strategies. These data were gathered through stakeholder interviews with experts in their fields and reliable online sources such as Statistics Canada and D&B Hoovers.

The Ignite team came across many interesting findings regarding the Fredericton Capital Region. For instance, did you know Fredericton received 19.5% of all permanent residents in New Brunswick in 2022? They also learned that 64.8% of the population has received a form of post-secondary education, which suggests the population is well-educated and highly skilled. They also observed abundant economic activity: it is estimated there are 6,756 businesses with employees and 18 creator's markets offering a platform for startups and entrepreneurs.

Of course, this is just a snapshot of the Ignite team’s work! To learn more about the Fredericton Capital Region and the team’s findings, look at the Ignite infographic or read the team’s 2023 Economic snapshot.

Meet the 2023 Ignite Student Team

Yara Bayoumi graduated in the spring of 2023 with a bachelor of arts honouring in psychology and minoring in classical studies from the University of New Brunswick. Yara is interested in pursuing a career in clinical psychology and hopes to achieve this goal via completing a post-graduate degree in the upcoming years. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, spending time with friends, and being outdoors.

Ivy Bialowas is in her third year at the University of New Brunswick pursuing a bachelor of business administration with an honours in both finance and marketing. After graduation, Ivy hopes to work in finance to gain experience in the field before pursuing an MBA. Outside of school, Ivy enjoys running for the UNB Reds cross country and track teams, baking cakes and spending time with friends and family.

Estefania Martinez is in her fourth and final year of a bachelor of arts, honouring in international relations, majoring in economics, and minoring in political science and fine arts at St. Thomas University. After graduation, Estefania is interested in a career in community economic and social development. In her free time, she enjoys volunteering at local organizations, painting, and gardening.

What is Pathways to Professions?

Each summer, NB-IRDT hosts student research teams as part of its Pathways to Professions (P2P) experiential learning program. For 13 weeks, these students work on projects relevant to New Brunswick while attending a full curriculum of professional skills workshops.

In 2023, NB-IRDT embarked on its second year of partnership with the Government of New Brunswick's Future GNB / Avenir GNB program and launched a new partnership with Ignite to host students working on government and industry research projects. Now that the 2023 program has ended, we are excited to share our students’ projects and their findings in the newest student spotlight series.