Registered Apprenticeship Program student Aurora Erickson demonstrates her welding skills following Premier Kenney’s announcement 

By rdnewsNOW staff

APPRENTICESHIP FUNDING

Province increases student apprenticeship funding

Oct 29, 2019 | 7:55 AM

EDMONTON- The Government of Alberta will triple the amount of annual funding to CAREERS: The Next Generation to more than $6 million a year by 2022-23, providing 6,000 students with paid internships and skilled trades and technologies learning opportunities in elementary, junior high and high schools.

“Our Skills For Jobs plan is all about preparing young Albertans for great careers, and ensuring our future prosperity. We believe that a trade certificate has every bit as much value and merit as a university degree, and that apprenticeship learning deserves as much support as classroom programs. CAREERS: The Next Generation is a fantastic way of getting more young Albertans into trade apprenticeships.”

Premier Jason Kenney

The funding top-up will double the number of schools involved with CAREERS to 1,000 from 494, and quadruple the number of learning opportunities for students.

Schools are offered age-appropriate programs, with high school students matched to employers via internships, apprenticeships, camps, workshops and mentoring.

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“It’s important for our students to have opportunities to explore their career choices beyond high school. By providing them with hands-on learning programs in areas such as technology and the trades, we are improving their future employability. I have heard from both school boards and industry stakeholders how valuable the Registered Apprenticeship Program and Career and Technology Studies are as an important first step to engage students, improve high school completion rates, and build a qualified and educated workforce.”

Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Education

In 2018 CAREERS helped place 1,567 high school students in paid internships with 816 employers in 247 communities.

In the coming years, Alberta Labour projects some of the highest demand apprenticeship and skilled trades careers will be:
– mechanics
– industrial mechanics
– millwrights
– construction
– oil and gas

Over the next five years, nearly 20,000 skilled trades workers are expected to retire.

That number will grow to more than 45,000 in 10 years.