Overview

The Alberta Jobs Strategy helps young Albertans and career-changing adults access the information, skills and support they need.

The strategy focuses on building a skilled and adaptable workforce by enhancing collaboration among government, employers, educators and communities. It identifies 4 main priorities, each supported by government actions, to help accomplish these goals.

By preparing Albertans for work we support a stable and balanced labour market that benefits everyone.

Resources

Why we need this strategy

Alberta’s population is diverse, with people at various stages of their careers – from students to those changing jobs. The province’s workforce is young and well educated.

Alberta offers a wealth of opportunities, with a competitive tax system, robust infrastructure, a world-class education system, a strong economy and promising prospects for the future. Despite this, many young Albertans remain unemployed or underemployed, and some adults face long periods without work and barriers to employment. These problems are made worse by ongoing changes in the job market driven by demographic shifts, new technology and global economic forces.

Albertans expect their government to be a responsible steward of public funding and invest where there will be the greatest impact. This includes helping Albertans gain the skills they need, supporting employers to fill critical roles, and ensuring programs are delivered efficiently, transparently and in alignment with Alberta’s economic priorities.

The Alberta Jobs Strategy targets youth between the ages of 15 and 24, adults changing careers and underrepresented groups, including women, Indigenous people, newcomers and persons with disabilities.

The Alberta Jobs Strategy seeks to address these challenges by connecting employers with job seekers, improving skills training, helping Albertans advance their careers and enabling the matching of workers with available jobs. This includes supporting youth and adults to be successful – whether entering, re-entering, or transitioning within the workforce – and enhancing access to relevant training, labour market information and employment opportunities.

Pillars of support

Through the Alberta Jobs Strategy, we are investing in new labour market information tools, supporting our K to 12 education system, working with post-secondary institutions and partnering with employers to support Alberta's workforce. 

These actions will ensure that Albertans have access to meaningful support throughout their careers.

The 4 pillars of support are:

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    Career awareness


    Albertans must have quality information that makes sense to them if they are to make informed career, learning and employment choices. Some of this information is already available, but it can often be challenging to find.

    Labour market information is key for Albertans and employers to know where to invest their time and resources.

  • Priority actions

    • Create a labour market information website that provides Albertans with the most relevant, timely and detailed information available.
      • Highlight websites such as Tradesecrets and enhance the alis.alberta.ca (alis) career, learning and employment services website to better connect job seekers with career advice and employment opportunities.
    • Educate Albertans about high demand occupations, including in the healthcare, construction and technology sectors.
      • Offer Albertans in the K to 12 system the opportunity to explore career possibilities through enhanced career education programming.
         
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    Career readiness


    The workforce is rapidly changing and becoming increasingly complex. As the world changes, demand for different occupations and skills changes with it.

    Supporting Albertans to ensure they have both the technical and soft skills to adapt and thrive is imperative to the province’s continued economic prosperity and competitiveness.

    By fostering lifelong learning and aligning education with labour market needs, Alberta is preparing its people for success today and into the future.

  • Priority actions

    • Ensure Alberta’s K to 12 system provides young Albertans with a strong foundation in literacy and numeracy – while also providing them with career education opportunities to give them a head start on their post-secondary studies or careers after graduation.
    • Implement Alberta 2030: Building Skills for Jobs initiative to ensure Alberta’s post-secondary system remains focused on equipping Albertans with the skills, knowledge and competencies they need to succeed in their lifelong pursuits – while being responsive to labour market needs.
    • Advance the Alberta Technology and Innovation Strategy as a foundational driver to increase the depth of Alberta’s talent pool and equip workers with the skills and expertise needed to power Alberta’s economy through innovative, market-driven solutions with global relevance.
    • Provide targeted training opportunities for Albertans transitioning to new career opportunities, including for Albertans in sectors that are impacted by changing market conditions.
    • Create spaces in high demand post-secondary programs that connect with Alberta’s priority economic sectors including healthcare, technology, engineering, business and aviation.
    • Deliver the Rural and Remote Family Medicine Resident Physician Bursary pilot project to support family medicine resident physicians who commit to practice family medicine in rural or remote communities.
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    Removing barriers


    Removing barriers and creating equitable, inclusive pathways for all Albertans is essential to a strong economic future. When every Albertan can access education, training, and employment, we unlock the province's full potential while addressing the changing labour market.

    By fostering inclusive workplaces and equitable access to opportunity, Alberta is not only supporting individuals – it is building a more resilient, innovative and competitive economy for all.

  • Priority actions

    • Implement WorkFirst to ensure Albertans facing barriers to employment receive the support they need to participate in the labour market.
    • Implement WorkBarriered+ Service Delivery to provide wraparound support for jobseekers facing barriers.
    • Develop digital tools that will provide Albertans with access to information, programs and support to help them enter the labour market.
    • Expand on early learning and childcare support so parents and caregivers can participate in training, education and work opportunities.
    • Consider recommendations from the Foreign Credential Advisory Committee so barriers to entry into regulated professions are removed for internationally trained newcomers.
    • Expand Employment Resource Centres throughout Alberta to ensure workers facing employment barriers are supported.
    • Invest in organizations that effectively address workforce development and support high demand careers such as those requiring apprenticeship, highlighting parity of esteem.
    • Continue to provide Albertans with opportunities to improve their literacy, numeracy and English language skills to pursue post-secondary education and attach to the labour market through the Foundational Learning Assistance and Community Adult Learning programs.
    • Support access to apprenticeship education and the skilled trades through hands-on learning and preparatory experiences for Albertans, including youth and underrepresented groups such as women, Indigenous people and newcomers.
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    Employer focus


    The strategy aims to create the conditions for stronger employer engagement in workforce development. Deeper collaboration with employers can improve the relevance and responsiveness of programs, support more effective alignment between labour supply and demand and inform government decision-making related to training, immigration and labour mobility.

    Enabling greater employer participation in the design and delivery of labour market solutions can enhance outcomes across sectors. Shared approaches to workforce development, supported by co-investment and public-private partnerships, can improve training alignment, increase retention and help ensure employers have access to the skills they need to remain competitive.

  • Priority actions

    • Work with the Alberta Chambers of Commerce to bring Talent Pipeline Management® to Alberta to enable employers to help co-design Alberta’s talent supply chains.
    • Work with employers to increase training and learning opportunities that allow Albertans to upgrade their skills while working.
    • Partner with employers to address sector level labour shortages through sector-based workforce strategies.
    • Work with industry to establish new certification options for apprenticeship, industry training programs and trade designations.
    • Work with post-secondary institutions to offer agile programming related to digital, analytical and technical skills to respond to the demands of evolving artificial intelligence and automation technologies.
    • Continue to engage with industry to support aligning industry and government planning and understanding of labour market conditions.
    • Leverage WorkFirst to encourage employer co-investment in initiatives to support the skill development, recruitment and onboarding of qualified staff.
    • Explore policy mechanisms to support employer co-investment in workforce development, such as cost-sharing models, tax incentives and recognition of best practices in training and retention.
    • Deliver the Northern Alberta Development Bursary Program to encourage students to train for jobs that are in demand in northern Alberta.
    • Deliver the Alberta Advantage Immigration Program to support provincial economic and labour needs.

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