Alberta plans to add 3,200 apprenticeship seats in 2024 budget

The province says if next week’s budget passes, it’ll create thousands more apprenticeship seats across Alberta to support industry demand for skilled workers and economic growth.

The Alberta government says to create more opportunities for students, and ensure they have the skills to meet labour market demands and begin good-paying careers, apprenticeship seats are needed to support students entering the skilled trades.

Through Budget 2024, the province says it would invest an additional $24 million a year over the next three years to create 3,200 apprenticeship seats at 11 Alberta post-secondary institutions.

The new investment would bring the total funding through the apprenticeship learning grant for the 2024-25 academic year to $78 million.

Apprenticeship learning is an affordable post-secondary option for learners that provides many job opportunities when completed, according to the province. Sponsored apprentices are employed and paid wages for more than 75 per cent of their program, it adds.

The Apprenticeship Learning Grant gives supplemental funding to support seats in apprenticeship classrooms

The province says the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum estimates that Canada will face a gap of more than 60, 000 registered apprentices by 2025.

There are currently 61,000 registered apprentices in Alberta, a 28 per cent increase over the number of apprentices who went through the province’s system last year.

In the last year, more than 24,000 apprentices were registered, which has led to a demand for more seats.