By The Canadian Press

United Conservatives leader promises reforms, expansion to trades education

Mar 26, 2019 | 5:26 PM

EDMONTON – Alberta United Conservative Leader Jason Kenney says he will expand access to and education in the skilled trades if he becomes premier.

Kenney says apprenticeship learning has every bit as much value as an academic education, and skilled trades will be in more demand as the population ages.

He says a UCP government after the April 16 election would double the number of schools offering vocational training, increase courses to 1,000 from 500 and quadruple the number of students placed with employers.

Kenney says the UCP would also create a trades scholarship program and allow tradespeople to teach in a classroom without having to first complete a full education degree.

Alberta employment rules would be changed to enable junior high school students to work in co-op programs on job sites.

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Kenney says provincial government projections predict that more than 3,000 skilled workers will retire each year from now until 2025.

(The Canadian Press)