Apply for a career training licence

You are required to provide specific information about the program, including:

• program name
• program outline and structure
• costs
• details about how your program will be delivered

Download and complete the New Program Information Form.

If the field or occupation has a professional or regulatory body, you must obtain that body's approval and include it with your application submission.

See Qualifications recognition – Regulatory bodies for a list of regulatory bodies.

If there is no professional or regulatory body for the field or occupation, you must have a minimum of 3 industry subject matter experts complete the Curriculum Review Form. This program evaluation demonstrates the relevance of your curriculum to industry. If applicable, we strongly encourage that at least 1 review be completed by an association relevant to the occupation within Alberta.

Your subject matter experts must:

• have an educational background relevant to the occupation of study
• be independent from the institution and free of conflict of interest
• complete the review without influence or guidance from the institution
• reside in Alberta and be accessible by phone and email

Provide each industry source with a copy of your curriculum and request that they complete the Curriculum Review Form. Submit the completed and signed curriculum reviews, along with the curriculum provided, and any response to the feedback provided by your subject matter expert.

• Curriculum Review Form

Institutions must keep the curriculum reviews on file for the duration of the program.

Curriculum contents

A curriculum generally includes:

• the learning standards or learning objectives students are expected to meet
• lessons or program components that instructors teach
• assignments and projects given to students
• books, readings, videos, presentations and other learning materials used in each course
• assessment methods used to evaluate learning

Institutions must provide evidence of labour market demand for the field in which the proposed program provides training.

If the field has a professional or regulatory body, check with them to see if they collect labour market demand information to inform their approvals.

See Qualifications recognition – Regulatory bodies for a list of regulatory bodies.

If there is no professional or regulatory body for the field, or if they do not collect this information, you must provide this evidence to Advanced Education as a part of your application.

The below document provides guidance on how you can successfully complete this requirement.

• Labour Market Demand Guide

It is the responsibility of the institution to set appropriate requirements for each licensed program to:

• ensure that prospective students have the prerequisite education and skills needed to benefit from the training
• reflect industry expectations for prospective graduates (for example: formal education, work experience, criminal record check, driver’s licence)

You must submit a description of the admission requirements for the program as a part of your application. The below document provides guidance on what you should consider.

• Admission Requirements Guidelines

Upon completion of a licensed program, a student is awarded a credential.

Consistency in credential naming helps students and employers understand and recognize licensed programs.

Submit a sample of the credential to be awarded to graduates of the program. The sample should include the following information:

• certificate or diploma (see definition below)
• school name
• program name
• graduation date
• signature of appropriate school representative

Certificate programs:

• prepare students for employment in specific occupations
• generally, requires 1 year or less of full-time study at a college or technical institute
• may also be available through part-time study

Diploma programs:

• prepare students for employment in a particular field or group of occupations
• generally, requires 2 years of full-time study at a college or technical institute (for private career colleges, programs greater than one year of full-time study may be referred to as diploma programs)

Institutions identify instructor qualifications that are regarded by the industry as appropriate.

If there is a professional or regulatory body or other agency that sets the instructor qualifications for a program, the institution must use these qualifications.

See Qualifications recognition – Regulatory bodies for a list of regulatory bodies.

If there is no professional or regulatory body that sets the instructor guidelines, instructors should have a:

• degree, diploma, certificate or a professional designation in a related field
• minimum of 3 years of work-related experience
• minimum one year of instructional experience or hold a training certificate in adult education

If industry subject matter experts indicate that additional qualifications are required for the program, you should reflect this in your Instructor Qualifications Agreement.

Submit a completed Instructor Qualifications Agreement with your application. Note that your agreement to minimum instructor qualifications will be confirmed by signing the Licensed Institutions Applying for New Programs: Application Checklist and Statutory Declaration.

• Instructor Qualifications Agreement

When you have completed all the above components of your new program application, submit them in one email to: [email protected]

Attach all application documents in PDF or Word format. Zip files cannot be accepted.

If your application passes screening and enters the licensing application queue, you will be required to pay the below fees.

Table 1. Fees effective April 1, 2025.

Application reviews will not be initiated until the fees have been paid.

When payment is required, we will provide your college’s Responsible Authority with an invoice via email, along with instructions on how to pay your fees online using MyAlberta eServices.

We require specific information about the individual or business applying to offer licensed programs. The chief executive officer or owner of the legal entity applying for a licence is known as the responsible authority responsible for the operation of the school.

We also require information about the institution that will be delivering the proposed program(s). Complete the below form and include it in your submission.

• New Institution Information Form

Also provide the following documentation as part of your Step 2 application documents:

• copy of the municipal occupancy permit
• signed health inspection permit, if applicable
• copy of your legal entity’s corporate registration

Complete the Statutory Declaration – it must be signed by your responsible authority and a Commissioner of Oaths. Scan it and then submit it to us with your application package.

• New Institutions Statutory Declaration

When you have completed all the above components of your institution application, submit them in one email to: [email protected].

Attach all application documents in PDF or Word format. Zip files will not be accepted.

If you have questions about how to complete any of the above, contact us.

As part of the licensing process, the responsible authority must complete a Projected Tuition Statutory Declaration.

Use the Projected Tuition and Security Calculation document to calculate your project revenues based on your enrollment projections and tuition and provide you with information to determine your security amount.

• Projected Tuition and Security Calculation

You also must complete and submit the Projected Tuition Statutory Declaration.

• Projected Tuition Statutory Declaration

You can pay your security in the form of a Surety Bond or Letter of Credit. The Security Samples document outlines what is required for each of these options.

• Security Samples

Prior to being issued a licence, you will be required to pay your annual licensing fees.

Table 2. Fee structure base on annual tuition revenue.

Each institution is also required to pay an annual licence fee of $100 per program.

The annual licensing fees are due at the time of licensing, and then April 1 annually.