Alberta to boost career-focused programming for Grade 7-12 students

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Alberta is rising entry to career-related coaching for college students in grades 7 to 12, the most recent transfer by the UCP geared toward bringing a higher profession focus to the training sector.

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Schooling Minister Adriana LaGrange mentioned at a Monday information convention that the province is implementing a number of suggestions from a job drive convened final summer season to evaluate profession training for center and highschool college students, and consider the way to finest put together college students to transitioning from Okay-12 training. after a job or post-secondary research.

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These suggestions embody rising entry to off-campus training, creating and funding trainer coaching and scholarships for profession education schemes, and bettering the measurement and analysis of current programming.

The province additionally mentioned it will overhaul its dual-credit system — one that might permit highschool college students to earn credit towards each their highschool diploma and a post-secondary or apprenticeship program — by addressing monetary and accessibility limitations recognized by the duty drive.

The strikes are essential to mitigate an anticipated scarcity of expert laborers in Alberta within the coming years, LaGrange mentioned.

“The suggestions of the duty drive will create extra alternatives for hands-on studying experiences for college students, whereas serving to to ease workloads for trade,” LaGrange mentioned.

“It’s vital that we put together tomorrow’s expert {and professional} employees with the coaching they want.”

The Profession Schooling Job Drive included faculty authorities and trade representatives and surveyed greater than 4,700 individuals concerned in training to tell their suggestions, LaGrange mentioned.

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NDP criticizes UCP’s curriculum adjustments: ‘(I)t’s a bit ironic’

The Monday announcement is the most recent in a collection of UCP insurance policies geared toward making job preparation a much bigger focus of training.

A lot of that has come on the post-secondary stage, the place the province has used cash to spice up seats and enrollment in applications that prepare employees for sectors going through excessive labor demand, because the province’s Ministry of Superior Schooling ‘ place a premium on trades and jobs. -focused applications.

Job drive member David Worth mentioned on the UCP information convention that publicity to jobs at the highschool stage might help college students work out which careers they may need to pursue — and which of them aren’t a very good match.

“As a grandparent and a taxpayer, the alternatives for college students to check profession alternatives earlier earlier than committing to sure fields helps guarantee extra assured decisions are made,” mentioned Worth, a director at Sunterra Group.

“Studying which careers are usually not most popular is efficacious in lowering future training and coaching prices for college students and households.”

In response to the UCP profession training announcement, NDP Chief Rachel Notley selected to oppose the federal government’s curriculum adjustments, a few of which had been launched in colleges this fall.

“I feel it is a bit of ironic that we declare to be extra involved in regards to the profession alternatives of scholars popping out of our Okay-12 system, whereas we’re forcing a curriculum on them that appears designed to undermine the standard of training we offer. younger individuals acquired about 50 to 75 years in the past,” mentioned Notley.

Notley added that she believes profession coaching is a good suggestion, however has criticized the UCP’s implementation of earlier training coverage since her appointment in 2019.

jherring@postmedia.com

Twitter: @jasonfherring