As Calgary’s trust for public education, EducationMatters has been a vanguard in encouraging career pathways for students, going all the way back to 2003 with the EducationMatters Career Pathways Endowment Fund.

According to Marilyn Field, Executive Director of EducationMatters, “We are thrilled to see the Alberta Government and the Career Education Task Force recognize the importance of career education and hands-on learning for students. At EducationMatters, we have been working to help alleviate barriers for students and provide enhancement funding to open the possibilities of students investigating and pursuing careers in the trades. We believe student access to receive the practical skills and experience in their areas of interest will help achieve benefits for the student personally as well as industry in our province overall.”

The Task Force recommendations emphasize the importance of providing Alberta’s grade 7 – 12 students with opportunities to explore career pathways and gain hands-on experience through partnerships between industry and education.

One exceptional learning opportunity provided by the Calgary Board of Education (CBE) are the Dual Credit and Exploratory Programs, which help students start career paths from trades to health and recreation to veterinary medicine to culinary arts, to cosmetology (just to name a few) and are life-changing for the students enrolled. These programs provide a hands-on learning experience for students, allowing them to get a head-start on careers while still in high school.

Since 2014, EducationMatters has granted over $1.9 Million specifically to CBE’s Dual Credit and Exploratory Programs, including some safety credentialing for students.

The Career Education Task Force made it clear that financial insecurity shouldn’t impact any student’s ability to succeed in their chosen career path. EducationMatters donors enable many students to participate in Dual Credit and Exploratory programs, and also provide support for Career and Technology Foundations (CTF), Career and Technology Studies (CTS), and fund over 100 student awards annually. More than $50,000 in trade scholarships alone are available this spring, with applications open now for Calgary students to apply. EducationMatters disbursed over $530,000 in scholarships in total in 2023, helping hundreds of students to achieve their academic goals.

As Alberta Education vows to dig deeper into the Career Education Task Force recommendations, EducationMatters encourages Calgarians, and anyone interested in making an impact for students today, to donate to one of its many inclusive and transformative campaigns or scholarships. Learn how you can be part of EducationMatters’ 20-year history and support the next generation of students by visiting the donors page, calling 403-879-7855, or emailing info@educationmatters.ca.