Expanding seats in Edmonton’s post-secondary system

The targeted enrolment expansion program, a key part of the recently announced Alberta at Work initiative, invests in new seats in high-demand programs. This investment helps the post-secondary system support the labour market of today and tomorrow, and gives students more opportunities to gain the skills and training they need to enter the workforce.

In the capital region, the targeted enrolment expansion program will invest in more than 20 programs, supporting more than 4,900 new seats over three years at the following post-secondary institutions:

• Concordia University of Edmonton: $1.5 million
• MacEwan University: $4 million
• Northern Alberta Institute of Technology: $9.2 million
• NorQuest College: $7 million
• University of Alberta: $48.3 million

The programs include early learning and child care, IT, health care, engineering and business.

“The Alberta at Work initiative is focused on addressing structural unemployment issues in our province. Creating hundreds more seats for early learning and child care, among other fields, means giving students more opportunities to pursue a career in a field where we need skilled, dedicated workers. This investment bolsters our post-secondary system, benefits students, families and our communities.”

“A young and well-educated population is vital to renewing and diversifying Alberta's economy and building tomorrow's workforce. Alberta at Work represents a bold investment in our province’s economic future – as well as an investment in the potential of Alberta’s young people and the renewal and growth of the province’s vital post-secondary institutions. Expanding enrolment in the University of Alberta’s high-demand business, engineering, science and nursing programs ensures Alberta’s talented high school graduates have the opportunity to further their education right here at home at one of Canada’s top research-intensive universities.”

“Thank you to the Government of Alberta for supporting innovation and technology programs both at Concordia University of Edmonton and across Alberta. This funding will allow us to expand our high-quality programming, preparing our students for meaningful careers in technology, and boosting this already vibrant sector of our economy.”

“MacEwan’s talented graduates help drive Alberta’s recovery and diversification, business development and prosperity in the province. We appreciate the government acknowledging our expertise through this investment in high-demand areas of study that will produce even more job-ready graduates.”

“This funding will open additional seats at NAIT, leading to meaningful careers in high-demand areas such as finance, digital media, information technology, computer engineering and veterinarian technology. These fields are all critically important for Alberta’s economy.”

“This announcement is an investment in Alberta’s prosperity. We share the Government of Alberta’s vision for accessible education that will result in nearly 800 additional seats at NorQuest, making college education inclusive of more Albertans.”

The programs are ready to start accepting more students this fall.

Alberta at Work is a more than $600-million investment over the next three years in new and existing initiatives to help Albertans gain in-demand skills that will support economic growth and attract investment now and in the future. It features investments that support Albertans from primary school to post-secondary skills training, as well as retraining for changing career paths and finding well-paying jobs.