Alberta government funds 2,000 new trade apprenticeship spots

Alberta is adding an extra $12.4 million this year to create more apprenticeship seats to meet surging demand.

Advanced Education Minister Rajan Sawhney says the money will create almost 2,000 new apprenticeship positions.

The funding is on top of the $15 million over three years announced earlier this year that added more than 1,000 extra apprenticeship spaces.

Alberta’s total funding for apprenticeship training in this budget year now exceeds $54 million.

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Sawhney says there are more than 50,000 registered apprentices in Alberta, a 19 per cent jump from the previous year.

Sawhney says the demand for skilled trades continues to soar across the board.

“We are seeing double-digit jumps in apprenticeship registration for the first time in more than a decade,” Sawhney told a news conference at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) in Edmonton on Monday.

“We are experiencing significant demand in construction trades and the automotive industry.

“Alberta’s government wants to ensure that we can support this momentum so that those who want to learn can learn starting now.”