INNISFAIL - The new Central Alberta Collegiate Institute (CACI) project, involving school divisions and post-secondary schools in the region, will be receiving $8.7 million in provincial funding beginning in the 2023-24 school year, officials said.
The CACI aims to help Central Alberta students successfully transition to post-secondary schools and employment.
A collegiate institute is a partnership between a K-12 school division or divisions and a post secondary institution or institution, with the partnership providing college level programming to K-12 students.
Partners in the CACI project include Red Deer Public School Division, Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools (RDCRS), Chinook's Edge School Division (CESD), Wolf Creek Public Schools, Olds College, Red Deer Polytechnic and CAREERS, a not-for-profit foundation.
“This is a collaborative partnership of school division and post-secondaries, which has been forging strong links between high school students and their career connections for over a decade,” CESD superintendent Kurt Sacher said in a press release.
“When high school students share a deeper experience with a career pathway, they are more likely to follow it through to graduation and employment. A focus on strong career transition is a priority for all of the school divisions involved.”
The CACI will see students undertake extensive exploration and training before they reach post-secondary age, he said.
“CACI is a model that will provide career pathways programming so we can provide career-ready experiences and maximize the potential for as many students as possible,” he said.
Kathleen Finnigan, superintendent of Red Deer Catholic Regional Schools division, said the CACI project will “greatly enhance career education opportunities and assist in an increasingly successful career transition following high school graduation for Central Alberta students.”
Debbie Thompson, vice president academic at Olds College, said, “As a leader is dual credit programming, Olds College looks forward to continuing to work with our partners to enhance collegiate career pathway to Central Alberta high school students.”
The CACI would follow a three to four year pathway centred around student apprenticeship-ready, dual credit learning and career readiness experiences.
Under Year One and Year Two programming, students will explore and engage in four to six courses within their chosen skilled trades cluster over the first year.
The clusters are mechanical (automotive, agriculture, equipment technician, and heavy equipment technician), fabrication welding and steam fitter, and pipe fitter), and construction (plumbing, carpentry and electrical).
Year Three would see students engage and experience skilled trade career learning by streaming into one of two options: pre-employment and work placement (automotive service technician, heavy agriculture equipment technician, welding, carpentry, electrical and plumbing) and work placement where student move directly into chosen skilled trade through internship.
Year Four will see all students placed in their skilled trade career.
