Strengthening career education

Alberta’s government wants students to have every opportunity to pursue their career interests and succeed in Alberta’s expanding job market. To achieve this goal, we are establishing a Career Education Task Force to recommend ways to build stronger connections between schools and jobs, helping students enter their chosen field sooner and ensuring employers have the skilled workers they need.

For many students, deciding what they want to be when they grow up – and figuring out how to get there – can be very difficult. Career education gives students practical, foundational hands-on learning opportunities to transition into a chosen career pathway through post-secondary education, or directly into the workplace. Through these opportunities, students not only acquire academic credentials, but they also develop meaningful relationships with employers and have access to high-quality job opportunities.

The task force will focus primarily on career education for grades 7 to 12 and how to effectively prepare students for seamless entry into post-secondary studies or employment. Members include leaders from industry, labour, the education system, post-secondary institutions and government departments, as well as a member of the legislative assembly.

Their work will include:

• engaging with various education, industry and business stakeholders across Alberta throughout the fall to hear a broad range of perspectives
• evaluating existing career education programming to determine opportunities for innovation and improvement
• creating a provincial framework that will inform future career education programming, including curriculum and funding

The task force will begin work in the fall and is expected to be in place until December. More details about its mandate, deliverables and engagement activities will be available in the fall.

By connecting education even more closely to jobs, we can help students begin to pursue their goals sooner, giving them a head start on their careers and increasing their chances of finding a sense of fulfillment in the world of work. I look forward to sharing more details on the task force in the coming months.