Data & Verification Methodology

We prefer primary and authoritative sources over summaries. When available, the working hierarchy is:

• Provincial or territorial regulators, apprenticeship authorities and governments for licensing, registration and trade rules.
• Government of Canada sources, including Job Bank and official NOC information, for labour-market and occupational classification data.
• Public or recognized educational institutions for program details, campuses and published admission information.
• National certification or profession bodies where they define a recognized examination or credential relevant to entry.
• Other reputable sources only when an authoritative source is unavailable and the limitation is clear.

Career facts are stored as structured records: careers, jurisdiction profiles, qualification profiles, regulators, pathways, labour-market records, programs and source metadata. This allows TalentAid to update one verified record and reuse it consistently across career pages, filters, guides and recommendations.

Source organization, source URL, publication or import date and last-verification date are retained wherever the data model supports them.

• Identify whether the occupation is regulated, certified, compulsory, non-compulsory or unregulated in the jurisdiction.
• Identify the responsible authority and whether registration or a practice permit is required.
• Capture the recognized entry education or apprenticeship route without turning a specialty authorization into a separate profession unless the local system actually treats it that way.
• Record protected-title, Red Seal and trade-classification details where relevant.
• Store a verification date and primary source so the record can be audited later.

A pathway describes a real route from a starting point to a destination career. TalentAid looks for formal education, bridging, apprenticeship, registration and advancement steps. We distinguish a published bridge or recognized route from a merely plausible career progression.

When no verified local route is available, TalentAid should not manufacture one with generative AI or copy a route from another province.

Wages, employment outlooks and job-market records are stored separately from editorial interpretation. A career may use an occupation-specific record or, where the authoritative source publishes at a broader NOC level, a shared NOC-group record. TalentAid aims to make that scope visible rather than implying false precision.

Median wage is not starting wage. Outlook is not a hiring guarantee. Labour-market conditions can differ by city, employer and time period even within the same province.

The Career Signal is a deterministic TalentAid interpretation of available verified components such as outlook, hiring activity, income potential, advancement and education investment. Missing components are not assigned invented scores; available components are reweighted across the data that exists.

The Signal is not a Government of Canada measure and is not a probability that an individual will find work. It is a comparison aid, not an employment forecast for a person.

AI may help explain or navigate information, but it is not permitted to invent missing labour-market statistics, regulators, licensing requirements or local pathways. Career Advisor is intended to answer from TalentAid's verified data and direct users toward the appropriate career, pathway and official source.

Users should still confirm important regulatory, admission and licensing decisions with the source authority.

Career systems change. Records can carry publication dates, import dates and last-verification dates so older information can be identified for review. Government labour data can refresh independently of regulatory or program verification.

Corrections should preserve provenance: update the structured record, retain the authoritative source, and avoid silently filling an unresolved field with generated content.

Advertising, sponsorship and affiliate revenue do not change the evidence standard. A partner cannot buy a higher Career Signal, more favourable wage, easier licensing rule or different regulatory status. Commercial placements are kept distinct from verified career facts.