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Alberta

Province boosts apprenticeship programs adding room for more than 1,000 new students in Alberta

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More apprenticeship spaces for Alberta students

Alberta is creating more than 1,000 new spaces for students in high-demand apprenticeship programs at post-secondary institutions.

Through Budget 2023, Alberta’s government is providing a funding boost of $15 million over three years to the Apprenticeship Learning Grants. With this increase, total funding for the grants will be $42 million in 2023-24.

The Apprenticeship Learning Grants are important for post-secondary institutions in Alberta that deliver classroom instruction to complement on-the-job training. New seats will be allocated to post-secondary institutions based on student demand and workforce data for in-demand skilled trades.

“This investment will help post-secondary institutions across Alberta create new spaces for students to build rewarding careers in the skilled trades. Strengthening our skilled labour force ensures that Alberta can respond to the needs of industry and the opportunities of our booming economy.”

Kaycee Madu, Minister of Skilled Trades and Professions

“Apprenticeship education is an important part of our
post-secondary system. Making sure students have access to programs, training and resources not only sets them up for success but supports and grows industries and our economy with a world-class workforce.”

Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Advanced Education

Alberta continues to diversify and grow, and as more people retire, the province is seeing an increased demand for skilled workers and apprenticeship learning opportunities. Student registration in Alberta’s apprenticeship programs increased to more than 15,600 in 2022 from 7,820 in 2020.

Each new seat created through this funding means more opportunities to connect students to
well-paying jobs while securing the talent Alberta needs to ensure the province remains competitive in a global economy.

“There is a growing need for skilled trade workers across Alberta. This announcement will provide support for new apprenticeships that will build Alberta’s economy.”

Laura Jo Gunter, president and CEO, NAIT

“Investment in post-secondary education is a key driver of Alberta’s economic prosperity. The expansion of apprenticeship seats ensures Red Deer Polytechnic can address the increased demand for skilled labour and trades training as Alberta industry and business continue to grow and prosper.”

Stuart Cullum, president, Red Deer Polytechnic

“Alberta’s rebounding with opportunities for people in the skilled trades. I welcome this increase for post-secondaries to host classroom training for registered apprentices. For them, and especially for women in the trades, this financial support will change lives and keep Alberta growing.”

Carol Moen, president and CEO, Women Building Futures

“Every new apprentice seat funded by this announcement supports a young Alberta family, builds community and strengthens the Alberta economy.”

Trevor Doucette, chair, Alberta Construction Association

Budget 2023 secures Alberta’s future by transforming the health-care system to meet people’s needs, supporting Albertans with the high cost of living, keeping our communities safe and driving the economy with more jobs, quality education and continued diversification.

Quick facts

  • In the 2022-23 school year, 11 post-secondary institutions across Alberta are offering a combined total of about 22,000 seats in apprenticeship classroom instruction.
  • The Government of Alberta offers apprenticeship education programs in 47 designated trades. Government administers and serves as the registrar, while post-secondary institutions deliver classroom instruction.

Alberta

Owner sells gas for 80 cents per litre to show Albertans how low prices ‘could’ be

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Undoubtedly some of the motorists driving past The Whistle Stop Cafe at Mirror on Tuesday morning thought it was an April Fools prank.  It wasn’t.

Chris Scott, owner of the gas station at The Whistle Stop Cafe offered a one day promotion on April 1st. Scott sold 8000 litres of regular gasoline for $0.80/ litre.

The promotion was funded by Scott and the Alberta Prosperity Project.  In this video posted to his social media, Chris Scott explains why they did it.

www.albertaprosperityproject.com

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Alberta

The beauty of economic corridors: Inside Alberta’s work to link products with new markets

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From the Canadian Energy Centre

Q&A with Devin Dreeshen, Minister of Transport and Economic Corridors

Devin Dreeshen, Alberta’s Minister of Transportation
and Economic Corridors.

CEC: How have recent developments impacted Alberta’s ability to expand trade routes and access new markets for energy and natural resources?

Dreeshen: With the U.S. trade dispute going on right now, it’s great to see that other provinces and the federal government are taking an interest in our east, west and northern trade routes, something that we in Alberta have been advocating for a long time.

We signed agreements with Saskatchewan and Manitoba to have an economic corridor to stretch across the prairies, as well as a recent agreement with the Northwest Territories to go north. With the leadership of Premier Danielle Smith, she’s been working on a BC, prairie and three northern territories economic corridor agreement with pretty much the entire western and northern block of Canada.

There has been a tremendous amount of work trying to get Alberta products to market and to make sure we can build big projects in Canada again.

CEC: Which infrastructure projects, whether pipeline, rail or port expansions, do you see as the most viable for improving Alberta’s global market access?

Dreeshen: We look at everything. Obviously, pipelines are the safest way to transport oil and gas, but also rail is part of the mix of getting over four million barrels per day to markets around the world.

The beauty of economic corridors is that it’s a swath of land that can have any type of utility in it, whether it be a roadway, railway, pipeline or a utility line. When you have all the environmental permits that are approved in a timely manner, and you have that designated swath of land, it politically de-risks any type of project.

CEC: A key focus of your ministry has been expanding trade corridors, including an agreement with Saskatchewan and Manitoba to explore access to Hudson’s Bay. Is there any interest from industry in developing this corridor further?

Dreeshen: There’s been lots of talk [about] Hudson Bay, a trade corridor with rail and port access. We’ve seen some improvements to go to Churchill, but also an interest in the Nelson River.

We’re starting to see more confidence in the private sector and industry wanting to build these projects. It’s great that governments can get together and work on a common goal to build things here in Canada.

CEC: What is your vision for Alberta’s future as a leader in global trade, and how do economic corridors fit into that strategy?

Dreeshen: Premier Smith has talked about C-69 being repealed by the federal government [and] the reversal of the West Coast tanker ban, which targets Alberta energy going west out of the Pacific.

There’s a lot of work that needs to be done on the federal side. Alberta has been doing a lot of the heavy lifting when it comes to economic corridors.

We’ve asked the federal government if they could develop an economic corridor agency. We want to make sure that the federal government can come to the table, work with provinces [and] work with First Nations across this country to make sure that we can see these projects being built again here in Canada.

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