Career Education in Alberta-Career Education Task Force-Final Report-March 2023
For decades now schools have encouraged and promoted university educations and the related professions far more than they have promoted the trades and skilled labour roles. In recent posts, we have alluded to a careers task force report on career pathways from Education Minister Adriana Legrange. The full report is included at https://pgaa.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/Alberta-Education-Career-Education-in-Alberta-Report.pdf.
The report outlines how “practical and foundational learning opportunities” can be provided through grades K-12 to elevate the career education programming offered. The report lays out a framework to better prepare Alberta students for their future employment, provides a vision of “engaging students in career education pathways that provide the relevant and timely support they need to prepare for fulfilling careers,” a set of thirteen guiding principles, and involves virtually everyone as a collaborative team, partnered to support students career journeys. This is to both achieve student fulfillment in their chosen careers and to successfully fill the opportunities within Alberta, as identified with seven desired outcomes.
They provide a framework for career education in Alberta and make a series of recommendations on four themes, career education programming, resources for delivery of career education, equitable financial resources for career education, and collaboration between education partners. Under each area, they have a series of recommendations (twenty-one in all) to drive actions to advance career education and direct students to many career opportunities and paths, including the skilled trades, where we are today lacking.
Should you have any comments, or concerns, please respond to president@pgaa.ca and we will ensure that your feedback is incorporated in the association’s response to government? Thanks in advance, for your ideas.