Edmonton, Alberta — A group of eleven skills industry stakeholders will head up the new “Premier’s Council on Skills,” announced on Monday, as the province of Alberta continues its push to bring more skilled trades workers into the province.
Comprised of leaders from various sectors of industry, though unfortunately lacking an expert specifically knowledgeable in the automotive field, the new council will report to Advanced Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides to provide feedback on how post-secondary institutions can help shrink the province’s skilled labour gap.
“We must look ahead to the Alberta of the future and ensure that graduates enter the workforce with the training and skills that are relevant,” Alberta Premier Jason Kenney said on Monday.
“We’ve done better in recent years, but there is a big gap in skilled trades workers, in industrial trades for example, that we are about to hit in a hard way, and that really concerns me. That’s why we’re trying to retool the education system.”
The eleven members to the new Premier’s Council on Skills in Alberta are as follows:
- Dennis Perrin, council chair, Director of Alberta and the Prairies for the Christian Labour Association of Canada
- Dr. Glenn Feltham, council vice chair, Interim City Manager of the City of Medicine Hat
- Brent Allison, CEO of Long View Systems
- Ken Gibson, Executive Director of the Alberta Construction Association
- Ron Koslowsky, Vice President of the Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters Manitoba Division
- Jason Krips, President and CEO of the Alberta Forest Products Association
- Gurpreet Lail, President and CEO of the Petroleum Services Association of Canada and Principal of Lail Consulting
- Tara Lockyer, Chief People, Culture, Brand and Communications Officer of ATB Financial
- Terry Parker, Executive Director of Building Trades Alberta
- Darren Reeder, CEO of the Tourism Industry Association of Alberta and Principal of 2thePOINT Public Relations
- Dr. Tom Snell, President of Columbia College Calgary and Chair of the Board of Directors of Columbia College
