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Alberta

New advisory group to provide input on career education opportunities for students

Jun 5, 2024 | 7:05 PM

The Government of Alberta plans to establish a new Dual Credit Review Advisory group to strengthen dual credit programming and ensure kids are getting hands-on learning opportunities in their education.

Dual credit programs allow students to explore career interests in a variety of industries and professions while earning high school and post-secondary credits at the same time, and their demand is growing.

“Alberta’s government is making sure every student has the opportunity to pursue their career interests and succeed in Alberta’s dynamic job market. That’s why we are continuing to strengthen dual credit programming,” says Minister of Education Demetrios Nicolaides. “The advisory group’s work will help more students prepare for careers in our growing and diversifying economy and fill much-needed positions across the province to further boost the economy.”

The new advisory group consists of representatives from school authorities across Alberta, industry, post-secondary institutions and career organizations. The members are from geographically diverse areas and represent various school authorities, including First Nations, Métis and Inuit, collegiate schools and independent schools that are involved with or interested in dual credit programming.

In addition to the advisory group, education partners and stakeholders, including school authorities and post-secondary institutions, will be invited to complete a targeted survey in June to provide input on Alberta’s current and future dual credit programming. Survey results, along with feedback from advisory group meetings, will be summarized in a report that will be released in the fall.

Some points of interest the group will gather input on include:

  • the dual credit funding model and programming;
  • accessibility, transportation and equipment barriers;
  • transferability between post-secondary institutions;
  • the role of collegiate schools in dual credit delivery;
  • course offerings and instructional models; and
  • increasing access to off-campus education.

As part of Budget 2024, the government is investing $4.45 million into dual credit grants for the 2024-25 school year in an effort to attract young Albertans to in-demand careers.