Alberta's new collegiate programs offer hands-on career experience for high-school students

Educators and students are praising provincial investments in collegiate programs that offer hands-on experience in a variety of career paths.

Collegiate programs offer specialized programming to create a clear pathway for high school students into post-secondary studies.

The programs, offered through both public and private school authorities, receive approval and startup funding from the province to get off the ground and are supported by post-secondary institutions as well as industry partners.

One example is the Southern Alberta Collegiate Institute, where seven southern Alberta school divisions partner with Lethbridge Polytechnic to offer programming for high school students in trades, agriculture and health care.

The training ranges from a first-year introduction to more focused pre-employment training in Grade 12 in a specific career path.

Jason Kupery, director of learning with the Lethbridge-based Palliser School Division, said the collegiate programs give students a sense of purpose while finding a career path they feel passionate about, opening doors for their future.

"There are plenty of students out there who are incredibly intelligent, but don't want to sit in a classroom to learn that way," Kupery said.

"So when they're able, for instance, to enter a trades pathway, light bulbs and all kinds of things go on, because they're like, 'This is what I'm good at. I'm working with my hands; I feel like I belong here.'"

Alberta has funded collegiate programming since 2022, with the first programs launching in fall 2023. There are now 12 collegiate programs approved to operate around the province.

The province has funded the collegiate programs to the tune of $101 million in capital investments since 2022. This includes allocating $21.5 million for each of the 2025-26 and 2026-27 school years.

'I think it's beneficial'

Cyra Graf, a high school student from Taber, Alta., who's interested in working as a parts technician, praised the effort that's gone into the program's development.

"It's a good introduction and it really showcases the trades and where you can fit in, what you're good at and what you're not good at," Graf said. "I think it's beneficial."

Kaden Belisle, a Grade 11 student, said he appreciates the hands-on experience the program provides as he looks to pursue a career working on trucks and engines.

"Trying a bunch of other stuff just made it so I could figure out what my path was and what I wanted to do," Belisle said.

Southern Alberta Collegiate Institute co-director Joelle Reynolds noted the program also helps students by giving them access to speak directly to industry professionals.

"I grew up in a really small community, and the idea of walking into a college or a polytechnic or a university was very intimidating for me," Reynolds said. "So knowing that this program is accessible to students from across a wide variety of communities is really exciting."

Reynolds added that the programming naturally complements classroom learning by getting students out into the world to see work sites, talk to professionals and business owners and learn about what's possible for them.

Kupery agreed that on-the-job programming can help students make connections when it comes to how their classroom courses are useful in the real world.

"I see these collegiate and dual-credit programs as an extension of the wonderful teaching and learning that's going on," Kupery said.

"When we have kids who go to trades programs, they can make connections with the math and science they're learning. It's one tool to ask the 'Why do we have to learn this?' question."