$30M to be spent on trades, technology programming in Alberta over next 3 years
More than $30 million will be spent over the next three years supporting apprenticeship and learning opportunities in skilled trades.
Minister of Skilled Trades and Professions Kaycee Madu announced the funding Friday at Edmonton's Harry Ainlay High School.
He said Alberta expects to see a high number of skilled trade workers retire in the next few years, and the province needs young people to "step forward and make the most of those opportunities."
Budget 2023 is allocating $23.5 million to Careers: The Next Generation, an apprenticeship agency, and $6.9 million to Skills Canada Alberta, which offers trades and technology programming for young people and leads the Skills Canada National Competition.
Stefan Rutkowski, director of operations for Careers, said more than 34,000 young people have been placed in internships by the agency since it started in 1997, and more than 80 per cent of those have stayed in their trade.
Last year, he said, was a record with almost 2,500 youths across the province being placed in a paid-internship.
"We're on track this year to increase this number even further, and this is exciting for Alberta youth for sure," Rutkowski added.
Ray Massey, board president of Skills Canada Alberta, said skills competitions help participants make connections and build their abilities outside of a traditional apprenticeship.
"It sets our youth up to experience success, to earn friends," Massey said. "The self-esteem and self-worth that is built in participating in [skills competitions] is second-to-none."
The Alberta government said Budget 2023 is also providing $10.7 million over three years to Women Building Futures.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.