BONNYVILLE, AB (December 4, 2018) – Imperial has awarded $30,000 to Lakeland Catholic School District to support enhanced Dual Credit learning opportunities.

As the result of $50,000 in start-up funding from Alberta Education, LCSD is offering a new dual credit learning opportunity this year. It is a Trades Entrance Dual Credit initiative that includes Pre- Employment Heavy Equipment Technician, Electrician and Robotics pathways in partnership with Portage College. These courses are related through the electrical pathway. The Imperial funding will allow us to enhance this program even further.

The electrical pathway is being explored through having the classroom teacher collaborate with college instructors. Students will visit the electrical program at Portage College throughout a semester to learn about circuit fundamentals. CTS Coordinator Amanda Wildman said, “we would like to work on a Pre-Employment Electrical Program with our post-secondary partners in the future, and this is a great place for us to begin.”

The Robotics and Coding course is being developed at this time. The course outline is complete and the developers are now working on content for the course. The plan is to have it available to students as a University Transfer course from Portage College in the future. All Grade 12 students are eligible to register for one free University Transfer course at Portage College each semester and this course would be a great option for students to consider. Portage College Dean, Robin Tizzard, affirms that “It is Portage College’s goal to increase access to university level courses in our region. These free university courses provide an excellent pathway for our youth.”

The Pre-Employment Heavy Equipment Technician program opens doors for students to apprentice and challenge the AIT (Apprenticeship and Industry Training) Exam - Period 1. The theory portion of the program will begin in February 2019 at LCSD.

Through this initiative, students will explore different pathways between trades and technologies and the possibilities that result by connecting them. These learning opportunities offer an excellent chance for students to explore possible career and post-secondary pathways while they are still in high school; therefore, helping them to make more informed choices about potential future pathways.

“Skilled Trades people are the backbone of the Alberta economy and Portage is committed to working alongside Lakeland Catholic School District as a partner in training the next generation of tradespeople. Focusing on developing highly educated and skilled professionals to meet the demands of our future economy and society is a priority for Portage and we welcome the support of Imperial and other industry partners in fostering similar initiatives” said Reuel Thomas, Dean of Trades and Technology.

This unique and innovative learning opportunity is well aligned with Imperial’s key areas for funding including education; and in particular STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) with an emphasis on oil and gas industry related skills and areas of expertise. Frank Oberle, Public and Government Affairs Manager with Imperial said, “We are proud of our partnership with LCSD and the great impact this program is having in our Lakeland communities.”

Lakeland Catholic is truly grateful to Imperial for supporting these hands-on learning opportunities. CTS Coordinator Amanda Wildman believes that partnerships such as this are a vital component to the success of career and post-secondary related learning. “We are so grateful to our partner Imperial for their continued support in enhancing our programs.”

For more information, please contact:
Amanda Wildman
Communications Officer
Lakeland Catholic School District
Phone: (780) 826-3764
Cell: (780) 813-0538
Email: awildman@edu.lcsd150.ca