Province to form financial review panel for post-secondaries

By MEDICINE HAT NEWS on November 8, 2024.

news@medicinehatnews.com

Early next year the province says it will establish an “expert” panel to review and evaluate post-secondary funding to ensure funding provided in support of students is being used effectively.

The UCP government released a statement Thursday saying the panel will provide a comprehensive report summarizing findings and recommendations that will focus on current and alternative funding mechanisms and the impact of federal immigration policies.

The panel is to also provide an overall competitiveness level of how Alberta’s post-secondary education system ranks among others across Canada and globally, as well as look at the cost of administrative and regulatory burden on provincial colleges and universities.

“Our students deserve to have the best opportunities to pursue their career aspirations and create prosperity for our province.” said Rajan Sawhney, Minister of Advanced Education. “The expert panel on post-secondary institution funding and competitiveness will enhance our ability to achieve the goals of the Alberta 2030 strategy as we strive to make our post-secondary system the very best it can be.”

Panel members will be appointed by the year of 2024 and will be made up of individuals with experience in the province’s post-secondary system.

The Alberta 2030 strategy was launched in 2021 to encourage post-secondary learning that builds skills and provides training for high-demand jobs in the province by expanding apprenticeship education and work-integrated learning programs and introducing new micro-credentials.

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