Edmonton, Alberta — Thinking of enrolling in an apprenticeship program at Northwestern Polytechnic? Why not invite 80 of your closest friends to join you, as recent investments into the Alberta 2030: Building Skills for Jobs initiative promises to open up new seats in trade school classrooms.
This latest government investment of $341,800 is expected to help create space in four skilled trades programs across Northwestern’s Fairview and Grande Prairie campuses.
The money will be put toward opening 36 seats on the Fairview campus, 24 in the heavy equipment technician program and 12 in the automotive service technician program.
Grande Prairie, on the other hand, will be funded for 20 more seats in its industrial mechanic (millwright) classroom and 24 new openings for electrician students.
“This funding will enhance our ability to respond to and support the increasing demand for apprentices within our region,” said Northwestern’s dean of skilled trades, Caitlin Hartigan.
“Without this unique partnership and support, we would be unable to respond quickly and deliver our newly established instrumentation second period offering in Grande Prairie. We are grateful for this proactive support, enabling our responsiveness to workforce needs and creating a growing and sustainable future for skilled trades in our region.”
According to the government’s press release, Northwestern is currently working to increase instructional staffing to expand wait-lists for spring program starts.
