(L-R) Dr. Noble Donkor - Vice President, Academics, Burman University, Connie Young - Vice President, Corporate Services, CFO, Olds College, Jason Stephan - MLA Red Deer-South, Demetrios Nicolaides - Minister of Advanced Education, Jim Brinkhurst - Interim President, Red Deer Polytechnic, Savannah Snow - President, RDP Students' Association. (rdnewsNOW / Sheldon Spackman)

By rdnewsNOW Staff

Targeted Enrolment Expansion

New seats added for local post-secondary institutions

May 24, 2022 | 1:26 PM

Alberta’s government is creating almost 900 new post-secondary seats in central Alberta, supporting animation, computer programming, business administration and health care.

Government officials say the funding is the latest investment from the targeted enrolment expansion program, a key part of the Alberta at Work initiative.

This strategic investment is said to focus on creating more seats in high-demand programs in the post-secondary system. It’s expected to help support the labour market of today and tomorrow and provide more opportunities for students to pursue well-paying jobs in growing industries.

In central Alberta, the targeted enrolment expansion program will invest in 10 programs at these post-secondary institutions:

• Red Deer Polytechnic: $4.5 million
• Burman University: $600,000
• Olds College: $434,776

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The investment of $5.6 million aims to supports more than 880 new seats over three years in programs including veterinary assistant technician, business administration, animation and visual effects, and health care.

“From veterinarians in the north, engineers in the south and animators in Red Deer, our government is investing in new seats in high-demand programs across the province. These investments, through the Alberta at Work initiative, will strengthen and diversify our economy, benefiting students, industry and our communities,” said Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Advanced Education.

“I’m so thrilled to see the expansion of these much-needed health-care programs that will give young Albertans in Red Deer and central Alberta opportunities to work, live and thrive in our province,” added Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Education and MLA for Red Deer-North.

“This is great news for students in central Alberta. With this additional investment from our government, more students will be able to obtain the skills and credentials they need to begin good-paying careers, and they won’t have to leave their communities to do it,” stated Ron Orr, Minister of Culture and MLA for Lacombe-Ponoka.

“Education program expansion in high-demand areas provides job opportunities for more Albertans and better meets our community needs. With this funding announcement, Red Deer Polytechnic is even a better place to access these programs,” suggested Jason Stephan, MLA for Red Deer-South.

“We greatly appreciate that the Alberta government worked with post-secondary institutions to create real solutions for these high-demand programs. Burman University and its students will truly benefit from this support,” shared Noble Donkor, vice-president, academics, Burman University.

“Increasing the number of seats in our veterinary technical assistant program will allow more local students to study in a field that supports essential animal care in Alberta. We are happy to have this support and to allow more Alberta students to study veterinary medicine at Olds College,” exclaimed Stuart Cullum, president, Olds College.

“At Red Deer Polytechnic, we are excited by the potential impact to central Alberta this funding provides,” shared Jim Brinkhurst, interim president, Red Deer Polytechnic. “Increased funding for seat expansion opens the doors for more learners who will fill gaps in our labour market during the coming years. As a polytechnic, we provide students robust applied learning and research opportunities across diverse programs and credentials.”

“Our capacity well serves our students, businesses and communities across Alberta,” added Brinkhurst.

“We know that growing access to post-secondary educational opportunities for our learners close to home is beneficial for them to meet their goals, and this translates to economic prosperity,” he continued. “Increased access for central Albertans to learn and earn at home feeds the ecosystem necessary to support thriving individuals, families and communities.”

Brinkhurst says the government’s investment will mean more than 700 additional seats at RDP over the next three years in degree programs such as Film Production and Animation and Visual Effects. Other programs to see an increase in enrolment include Machine Learning Analysts, Computer Programming, Medical Lab Assistant, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Licensed Practical Nurse, and Health Care Aid.

Officials say the majority of these programs are ready to start accepting more students this fall.

Alberta at Work is described as a more than $600-million investment over the next three years in new initiatives to help Albertans gain in-demand skills that will support economic growth and attract investment both now and in the future. It is said to feature investments that support Albertans from primary school to post-secondary skills training, as well as retraining for changing career paths and finding well-paying jobs.

David Eggen, NDP Critic for Advanced Education, made the following statement in response to Tuesday’s announcement:

“It has become more and more difficult for Albertans to advance their education or seek career training due to the UCP’s cuts to post-secondary institutions. They have instituted devastating cuts to the tune of $690 million in funding for institutions, resulting in Alberta having the highest tuition increases in the country, and added insult to injury by increasing the interest on student debt and withholding Student Aid.

“As a result of UCP decisions, record rates of young people and post-secondary students are leaving the province. With continued cuts into post-secondary, it’s clear Albertans can’t trust the UCP to act in the best interest of our province’s future.”

“Central Alberta needs to keep young people in community by providing access to post-secondary and career training, allowing them to stay in their communities while attracting employers and growing the economy due to the availability of local talent.

“The UCP is scrambling due to the problems their $690-million post-secondary budget cuts have caused. Albertans cannot trust what this government will do or say from one day to the next.

“Across the board, it’s clear Albertans can’t trust the UCP to act in the best interest of our province and its future, as their policy fails to create a society where people seeking career training and further education may thrive and be set up for success.

“This government’s policies are leaving Albertans behind. If not for damaging choices made by the UCP, these students could have been in career training now, with options available to them sooner. People could have already been graduating from programs, building their lives and communities today, allowing central Alberta to thrive.

“The NDP has a clear plan to put post-secondary education back within reach of hardworking Albertans and students. We will make post-secondary accessible, invest in young people, and support them to unlock the many opportunities created by a strong, resilient post-secondary system.”