Education
Province investing to meet labour market demands by increasing access to “trades” education
From Government of AB
The province is providing more funding for scholarship programs for apprentices to meet labour market demands and increase access to trades education.
Lord Beaverbrook Grade 12 pipefitting student, Quinn Tubrett demonstrates welding skills to MLA R.J. Sigurdson from the Skilled Trades Task Force, Minister Nicolaides, Ray Massey, board chair of Skills Canada-Alberta and David LeMay, board member of CAREERS: The Next Generation.
Alberta is supporting high school students pursuing trades education by improving and increasing the scholarship program. The $1.5-million High School Apprenticeship Scholarship, which consolidates previous programs, will help more high school students access the education and training needed to get jobs in the trades.
“This investment will allow more young Albertans to access post-secondary education, through apprenticeship learning. We believe that a trades certificate has as much value, merit and worth as a university degree. When looking at post-secondary educational opportunities, I encourage young Albertans to give due consideration to the skilled trades. The trades provide a strong pathway to employment and to high-paying careers.”
“Our government has been working hard to strengthen the education system and support academic excellence and choice for our students as they prepare for their futures. These expanded scholarships will provide additional opportunities for Alberta high school students to pursue a career in the trades.”
“The High School Apprenticeship Scholarship will go a long way to recognize excellence and encourage our finest asset, Alberta’s youth, to continue their apprenticeship education and support them in their journey to reach their full potential as the future industry leaders on the world stage.”
“We are confident that the High School Apprenticeship Scholarship will be a valuable investment in the future of young Albertans, and ensure that they are able to pursue rewarding careers in the trades.”
“The High School Apprenticeship Scholarship is an important tool that recognizes that an apprenticeship is a valuable post-secondary education option and a career pathway that allows our young Albertans to achieve their own future career success as well as to become contributors to Alberta’s long-term economic prosperity.”
The province has injected an additional $1 million into the expanded program that recognizes the achievements of high school graduates who have chosen an apprenticeship pathway.
Qualified high school graduates in either the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) or Career and Technology Studies (CTS) apprenticeship programs will receive a $1,000 scholarship. In addition, qualified graduates who have completed both a RAP and a CTS programs will receive a $2,000 Bright Future, High School Apprenticeship Scholarship.
Quick facts
- Over the past four years, an annual average of about 10,000 Alberta high school students in approximately 300 schools across the province participated in RAP and CTS classes.
- Over the last five years, an average of 344 recipients per year received the RAP/CTS Scholarship.
- More than 1,400 scholarships worth a total of nearly $1.5 million are being awarded for the 2019-20 school year:
- 1,387 High School Apprenticeship Scholarship awards valued at $1,000 each
- 35 High School Apprenticeship Scholarship – Bright Future awards valued at $2,000
- Over the next five years, nearly 20,000 skilled trades workers are expected to retire, with that number hitting more than 45,000 in 10 years. That’s equivalent to half the population of the City of Lethbridge leaving town.
Beef. It’s kind of a big topic. That means there are a lot of random facts about cows out there! In this video I share some of my favorite facts about our bovine friends!
Fact Sources
- http://www.fao.org/3/Y0501E/y0501e03.htm
- http://publications.gc.ca/site/archivee-archived.html?url=http://publications.gc.ca/Collection/A38-1-1-2005E.pdf
- https://www.teysaust.com.au/australian-cattle-basics/
- https://www.canadaid.ca/
This video was produced independently by Know Ideas Media
Agriculture
The next 30 harvests are the most important in history… An urgent message to the world from US Farmers and Ranchers
US Farmers & Ranchers Alliance Launches Short Film as Start of Movement to Create Sustainable Food Systems
The Challenge of a Generation: “30 Harvests” Takes a Look at Farmers’ Role in Combatting Climate Change
The US Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) has unveiled a new film that highlights the urgency needed in the fight against climate change. Despite uncertain economic times, farmers are front and center as the agents for change in “30 Harvests.”
“The next 30 years are the most important in the history of agriculture. Food production will need to increase by 70% to feed the world by 2050. How do we nourish a growing population while our farmable land is shrinking?” said Erin Fitzgerald, CEO, USFRA. “30 Harvests captures the passion and hope that our farmers have in providing a dependable source of healthy food while addressing economic and environmental concerns for current and future generations.”
The docudrama follows the plight of farmer Jay Hill of Dell City, Texas, and farmer and soil scientist Meagan Kaiser of Bowling Green, Missouri. In the short film, they articulate the challenges farmers face while embracing the opportunity to meet the increasing demands for food, and ultimately help solve one of the greatest challenges of this generation: climate change.
“As farmers, we need to let the world know that we’re on the front lines of climate change,” said Hill. “If you think that we’re not scared of a changing environment, then you’ve got it wrong.”
Thirty harvests quantifies the crop cycles left before 2050, the year the global population is expected to be 9 billion people. According to American Farmland Trust, the U.S. loses 175 acres of farmland every hour, mostly to urban encroachment. Additionally, the U.S. Global Change Research Program reports that the effects of climate change are already being felt, with increases in average temperature, extreme heat conditions, heavy rainfall, droughts and extreme weather events contributing to excessive runoff, flooding, and soil erosion, loss of soil carbon and reduce the availability and quality of water. However, agricultural soils have the capacity to capture and store carbon, making every acre of farmland more important than most ever believed, and putting farmers and ranchers in a position to be the change makers.
“30 Harvests is just one story. There are hundreds – thousands – of other stories about how farmers are continually innovating and evolving with climate smart agricultural practices, even in a tough economic environment,” said Kaiser.
USFRA is convening leaders in the agriculture and food value chain to create a strategic roadmap to meet the challenges of the next decade of nourishing an unprecedented population while enhancing the environment on which we all rely and benefit from.
“This is a call to leaders in food, finance and science to be part of the solution to co- create sustainable food systems with U.S. farmers and ranchers,” said Fitzgerald. “We’re starting with climate change and how we can pull down carbon on our farms. Our hope is that one day soon, we can be the first sector in our country that is carbon neutral and over time, helping offset for other sectors.”
“30 Harvests” is available to view at www.usfarmersandranchers.org.
ABOUT USFRA
U.S. Farmers & Ranchers Alliance (USFRA) represents farmer and rancher-led organizations, and food and agricultural partners, with a common vision to further our global sustainable food systems. We believe farmers uniquely contribute to nourishing our planet, people, and natural resources. Our focus is creating a proactive collaboration between the best minds in food, agriculture, science, and technology to co-create solutions that will result in environmental, social, and economic sustainability. Learn more at www.usfarmersandranchers.org.
“Farmers and ranchers are on the front lines in the battle against climate change, providing a dependable source of healthy food while addressing economic and environmental concerns for current and future generations. This is a call to leaders in food, finance and science to be part of the solution with U.S. farmers and ranchers.”
– Erin Fitzgerald,
Chief Executive Officer
The docudrama follows the plight of farmer Jay Hill of Dell City, Texas, and farmer and soil scientist Meagan Kaiser of Bowling Green, Missouri. In this film, they articulate the challenges farmers face while embracing the opportunity to meet the increasing demands to create sustainable food systems through the next 30 harvests, and ultimately help solve the greatest challenge of this generation: climate change.
This film is inspired by true events in the lives of farmers Jay Hill and Meagan Kaiser.
