Photo by Curtis Galbraith.

By Curtis Galbraith

Northwestern Polytechnic

NWP buys building that will house trades training

Dec 18, 2025 | 5:12 PM

Northwestern Polytechnic says it has bought a building on Grande Prairie’s west side that will soon be a new home for trades training.

The Skilled Trades Training Centre will be housed in a 30,000 square foot building, a former automobile dealership, on the corner of 112 Street and 100 Avenue.

A release says the site “is being purposefully developed to support hands-on training, applied learning, and industry-aligned education.”

“This development marks an important milestone in our commitment to skilled trades workforce development, industry partnerships, and economic growth,” says NWP president and CEO Dr. Vanessa Sheane, in that same release. “By centralizing our programming and establishing a dedicated Skilled Trades Centre in the heart of industry, we become more accessible to students and strengthen the productive partnerships that will give our region a competitive advantage.”

NWP says the first apprenticeship intakes are set for the fall of 2026. Officials say the new training will “focus on high-demand skilled trades.”

“Across Northern Alberta, the demand for skilled trades professionals continues to outpace supply,” explains Grande Prairie Construction Association vice-president Justin Staffen. “This investment by Northwestern Polytechnic directly addresses that gap by expanding access to high-quality, hands-on training and producing job-ready graduates our industry urgently needs. Purpose-built training environments that support collaboration and cross-training between trades are essential to building a resilient workforce now and into the future.”

Northwestern Polytechnic also recently added the Spartan Controls Northwestern Centre for Industrial Automation & Innovation and the CDN Electrical Education Centre.