Advancing Futures – Professionals

Important dates

About the program

General information

Advancing Futures is a transitional support program for current and former youth in government care aged 18 to 24. The program provides social and emotional supports and funding to eligible students while they pursue post-secondary studies.

Youth are invited to apply if they are interested in:

• academic upgrading if it is a requirement for entry into a post-secondary program,
• earning a license or certificate,
• learning a trade, or
• earning a diploma or degree from a post-secondary school.

In addition to providing funding, Advancing Futures helps students succeed by supporting them while transitioning into adulthood, learning life skills and becoming successful in school. The program recognizes the potential of students to reach their educational goals and overcome the challenges they may face.

Eligibility

Applicants must:

• be between 18 and 24 years old at the time they apply
• be full- or part-time students enrolled in an approved institution, and
• have been a youth in government care as a result of an Alberta-based agreement or order

They must also have:

• had a Permanent Guardianship Order (PGO) or Permanent Guardianship Agreement between the time they were 13 and 18 years old, or
• been in the care or custody of Children’s Services for at least 546 days (18 months) between the time they were 13 and 24 years old – the following intervention services are included in the calculation of these 546 days:
  • apprehension order
  • custody agreement with guardian
  • custody agreement with youth
  • custody order
  • emergency apprehension
  • enhancement agreement with youth
  • interim custody order
  • order to extend custody or temporary guardianship order to 3 years
  • previous Child Intervention post 18 supports and services
  • TAP agreement
  • temporary guardianship order

Applicants with any days of PGO status between the ages of 13 to 18 who were subsequently adopted remain eligible for the program.

To confirm eligibility for Advancing Futures, contact us.

Youth who received Supports for Permanency for more than 546 days between the ages of 13 to 18 should contact us to discuss their eligibility.

Approved institutions

This program is open to full or part-time students enrolled in one of over 400 approved schools, colleges and universities. These include:

• on-campus post-secondary programs in Alberta
• limited exceptions for students to study outside of Alberta
• academic upgrading programs or a General Equivalency Diploma (GED) at an adult learning institution if it’s a requirement for entrance to a post-secondary program

Students can use the School and Program Eligibility Search to see if the post-secondary institution they plan to attend is an approved school. Specialized high schools are not listed in the eligibility tool. Students can contact Advancing Futures to confirm the educational institution is approved.

Advancing Futures does not fund Masters degrees or Doctoral programs.

Benefits

Transitional supports

We encourage professionals to let eligible youth know about the program as early as 13 years old because:

• it can inspire them to stay in school
• it will provide time for an Advancing Futures TAP Practitioner to assist case workers and youth with the education portion of a transition plan

Advancing Futures can also help students plan by:

• assisting in career investigation
• discussing specific job requirements
• helping clarify career goals
• identifying different education paths to help students achieve their education and career goals

TAP Practitioner’s role

Students are each assigned a TAP Practitioner who supports them from the initial application to the completion of their planned post-secondary studies.

The responsibility of supporting students is divided among TAP Practitioners across the province. Together, they serve as a direct support to students as they transition from care into post-secondary education and adulthood. Using educational attainment as the medium for support, Advancing Futures staff helps students understand and manage the day-to-day responsibilities required to complete their post-secondary program.

A TAP Practitioner’s responsibilities are divided as follows:

• 85% case management
• 15% financial administration

Case management

Case management support is tailored around individual need to help students be successful. Prospective students typically require longer-term transitional planning as they to prepare for further post-secondary education. TAP Practitioners help prospective students explore their career and educational options, and help them to determine if they are ready, willing and able to attend school at this time.

For students who are ready, TAP Practitioners assist with the application process and connect them to possible educational institutions. If students are not ready, TAP Practitioners will help them understand their options and what they can do to become ready in the future. All of these activities are focused on transition into adulthood issues, supporting students in learning every-day life skills, and being successful in school.

As student circumstances change, the TAP Practitioner is responsible for adjusting a student’s funding and transitional plan. TAP Practitioners support them to develop a plan to overcome any challenges.

Meetings

Throughout the process, youth can meet with a TAP Practitioner:

• in person
• by phone
• by email
• by online meetings

TAP Practitioners have set times to meet with youth. Although meetings are typically set once a month, students can access their TAP Practitioners as needed.

Phone meetings: TAP Practitioners whose students reside in communities outside their region set a time to speak with youth monthly.

In-person meetings: TAP Practitioners visit the institutions a minimum of 2 times a year to meet with youth.

Service access

TAP Practitioners are located across the province to best support students.

Funding

Advancing Futures funds education programs in a wide variety of career areas, including digital media design, teaching and plumbing. The program covers funding for:

• up to $40,000 in education costs, including:
  • required tuition
  • mandatory fees
  • required books
  • mandatory supplies
  • approved technology
• living allowance
• transportation funds
• a portion of child care expenses
• health benefit plan
• damage deposit for housing needs

Living allowance rates for Advancing Futures Clients

Application deadlines

There are 3 annual application deadlines:

• apply by June 1 – to begin studies anytime during the upcoming academic year (September to August)
• apply by October 1 – to begin studies anytime between January and August of the following year
• apply by February 1 – to begin studies anytime between May and August of the same year

Applications that are received after any of the above deadlines will be deferred to the next application period.

Extended deadlines

Students who have not received funding through Advancing Futures before, and plan to attend a specialized high school, are offered extended deadlines:

• apply by October 1 – to begin studies in Fall Term (of the same year)
• apply by February 1 – to begin studies in Winter Term (of the same year)
• apply by May 1 – to begin studies in Spring/Summer Term (of the same year)

Year-round applications

Applications are accepted year-round from students who are registered as an apprentice and are pursuing technical training for their trade. Applications must be received at least 6 to 8 weeks before training begins.

How to apply

Students who intend to study at an institution outside of Alberta must speak with a TAP Practitioner about their plans prior to submitting their application. Additional criteria apply to these requests.

Step 1. Confirm eligibility

Review Advancing Futures’ eligibility criteria. Contact us to confirm eligibility, if clarification is required.

Step 2. Apply to a program

Students must have applied for their program of study before applying to Advancing Futures. Students do not need to have been accepted into their program of study to apply for Advancing Futures. Proof of application to or enrolment in the intended program of study must be submitted when applying to Advancing Futures. For more information, see approved institutions.

Step 3. Help the student submit an application

Students must complete their own application form. Professionals are encouraged to help them to do so. However, application forms completed on behalf of a student will not be accepted.

Applications and supporting documents must be submitted before the application deadline.

Next steps

Waiting times

It can take up to 30 days after the application deadline for applications to be reviewed. Requesting updates sooner than this will not result in faster processing.

It takes 8 to 10 weeks after the application deadline for applications to be fully processed.

Contact method

Advancing Futures uses email as its main contact method. It is important that students check their email for updates regularly. At times, Advancing Futures may contact a student by phone or letter mail.

Updating information

Students are responsible for providing Advancing Futures with their current contact information, including:

• email address
• phone number, and
• mailing address

If contact information changes, students must email us their updated information to: [email protected].

Intake and conditional approval

After a student applies, their application will be reviewed to determine eligibility and for completeness. Following this, TAP Practitioners will contact students with information about next steps.

Students who meet the program requirements will be required to complete an intake form. The intake form will be reviewed and the student will be conditionally approved. An email will be sent to the student with a deadline to complete any tasks required for approval of their funding.

Payment of expenses

Tuition and mandatory school fees

Once funding has been approved, a sponsorship agreement will be established with the school. The agreement states that Advancing Futures will cover tuition and mandatory school fees for the academic term(s). The institution will invoice Advancing Futures directly.

Mandatory books and supplies

An account will be created at the school’s bookstore to cover the cost of mandatory books and supplies. All students are required to submit a book and supply list at the start of each semester.

Students are provided with funding to buy basic school supplies (for example: pens, pencils, paper) at the start of each semester, to a maximum of:

• $50 per year for part-time students
• $100 per year for full-time students

Living expenses

Monthly living allowance payments are deposited into students’ bank accounts 5 to 7 days before the first day of each month. The living allowance payment provided at the end of each month is for the next month of study.

Request a presentation

The Advancing Futures team is available to provide a presentation about our program to groups of prospective students, professionals, and others.

Request a presentation online

Contact

Connect with the Advancing Futures program