Off-campus education learning experiences include Work Study, Workplace Readiness Grades 8 and 9, Workplace Readiness 10-4, Workplace Practicum 20-4 and 30-4, Work Experience 15, 25 and 35, Career Internship 10, and the Registered Apprenticeship and Green Certificate programs. For information on Workplace Readiness and Workplace Practicum courses, refer to Knowledge and Employability junior high occupational courses and senior high occupational courses.
Students gain practical workplace experience related to life skills and career opportunities and can grow in knowledge, skills and attitudes by participating in off‑campus education learning experiences delivered through school-community partnerships. Off-campus education provides opportunities for:
- community partnerships, job shadowing, mentorships and work study
- the use of off-campus initiatives to support the achievement of outcomes in provincial programs of study
- the issuing of senior high school credit for workplace learning that is approved by the school and by the employer
School authorities shall be responsible for ensuring that course content, where available, is followed and, where necessary, developed. School authorities shall also be responsible for the instructional practice and evaluation of all off-campus education learning experiences.
For specific procedural and legislative requirements regarding off-campus learning experiences, refer to Off-campus Education or contact the Career Education Branch. For contact information, see Appendix 1.
Reporting off-campus education learning experience credits
When schools report off-campus learning experience marks and credits in PASI, they are to report the marks and credits given for CTS courses separately. For example, a student who took work experience for a total of 6 credits, which included the required HCS3000: Workplace Safety Systems course, should be reported as having taken a 1‑credit CTS course and a 5‑credit Work Experience course.
Credits at the same level of Work Experience will accumulate. For example, if a student completes Work Experience 15 for 4 credits and then completes a different off-campus learning experience for 3 credits in a second Work Experience 15, the student will earn an accumulated total of 7 credits for Work Experience 15. A student may only accumulate credits up to the largest credit value for the course (10 credits per grade level).
Only 15 credits of Work Experience 15, 25, and/or 35 may be used to meet the 100-credit requirement for the Alberta High School Diploma.
Work study and community partnerships
Work study and community partnerships are components of other courses and are integrated into the teaching and experiential learning activities under the cooperative supervision of off-campus coordinators and employers.
Work study
Work study education provides an opportunity for junior and senior high school students to apply the knowledge, skills and attitudes they have acquired in coursework to real-life situations through a school-community partnership arrangement.
Work study includes experiential learning activities undertaken by a student as an integral part of an approved school course or program and under the cooperative supervision of the off-campus coordinator and the employer.
Community partnerships
Community partnerships are based on the belief that educators can enhance student learning experiences by bringing the community into the school and by placing students out in the community.
Using the expertise, talent and resources of community-based service organizations and agencies, and of business, industry, citizen groups and parents, schools can enrich the educational experiences of students. School authorities are encouraged to develop guidelines regarding community partnerships and business involvement in education. For more information, see Partnerships Between School and Community under General Principles for Effective Programming in the Program Foundations section.
Students may be introduced to the concept of community partnerships through activities such as:
- inviting members of the community into the school as guest speakers or to give demonstrations
- involving community members in special events, such as career days or education week
- touring local businesses and industries
- sharing resources, such as films, videos, booklets, pamphlets, equipment or specialized laboratory facilities
- participating in programs, such as work study, job shadowing or mentorships
- participating in community service activities
Community partnerships included in the Knowledge and Employability courses are addressed in the Knowledge and Employability Courses Handbook, Grades 8–12.