Media Release: HPSD Collegiate Application Approved by Alberta Education

Media Release: HPSD Collegiate Application Approved by Alberta Education

High Prairie School Division is pleased to announce that Alberta Education has 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨 𝐛𝐞 𝐚 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥. "In partnership with publicly funded post-secondary institutions and industry partners, collegiate schools bring together students with similar interests to benefit from enriched programming, specialized facilities and enhanced learning opportunities through a unique delivery model." (Alberta Education website).

The 𝐇𝐏𝐒𝐃 𝐁𝐨𝐚𝐫𝐝 𝐨𝐟 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐞𝐬 𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐝 to see their ongoing efforts to improve the lives of our students result in such a significant achievement.

In a letter to Board Chair Joy McGregor, The Honourable Demetrios Nicolaides, Minister of Education, stated, "The collegiate proposal you submitted includes pathways for Skilled Trades, Healthcare, Business Administration, and Knowledge and Employability. The proposal you have submitted will empower students with the requisite skills and knowledge to excel in their chosen careers.”

𝐇𝐢𝐠𝐡 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐢𝐞 𝐒𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐥 𝐃𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐬 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐦𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐭𝐮𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐬 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐠𝐡 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬, 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐥𝐮𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐀𝐝𝐦𝐢𝐧𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧, 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞. The Collegiate School programming offers hands-on experiences, micro-credentials, and dual credit opportunities in collaboration with industry and post-secondary partners. Students can explore, adapt, and pursue meaningful career journeys, all while meeting Alberta Education's graduation requirements.

Micro-credentials are short, specialized certifications that demonstrate proficiency in a specific skill or set of skills. Unlike traditional degrees or diplomas, micro-credentials are flexible, targeted, and often quicker to complete. They are typically awarded by educational institutions, professional organizations, or industry bodies and can be delivered in various formats, including online courses, workshops, and boot camps.

𝐌𝐢𝐜𝐫𝐨-𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐚 𝐦𝐨𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐧 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐭𝐨 𝐞𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐩𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐭, 𝐟𝐨𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐨𝐧 𝐟𝐥𝐞𝐱𝐢𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲, 𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐚𝐩𝐢𝐝 𝐬𝐤𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐜𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧. They are becoming increasingly popular as industries evolve, and the demand for specific skill sets grows, offering a practical solution for lifelong learning and career advancement.

Micro-credentials offer the following opportunities to students:

• Skill Development and Enhancement: Micro-credentials provide targeted, focused learning experiences that allow individuals to develop specific skills and competencies relevant to their career goals or areas of interest. They offer continuous learning and skill enhancement opportunities in a flexible and accessible format.

• Career Advancement: Micro-credentials can enhance individuals' resumes and credentials, making them more competitive in the job market. By earning micro-credentials in specialized areas, individuals can demonstrate their expertise and commitment to professional development, potentially leading to career advancement opportunities.

This application has been an ongoing effort of the HPSD Board of Trustees and has been detailed in Board meetings and as part of their ongoing strategic planning.

On the successful application, HPSD Trustees weighed in on the positive news for students. Chair McGregor noted, "𝘞𝘩𝘦𝘯 𝘸𝘦 𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘰𝘵𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘏𝘗𝘚𝘋, 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴 𝘵𝘰. 𝘞𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘉𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘱𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘦𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘬𝘪𝘥𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘰𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘰 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘯 𝘢𝘮𝘢𝘻𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘸 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴”.

Vice Chair Tammy Henkel stated, "𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘤𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘏𝘪𝘨𝘩 𝘗𝘳𝘢𝘪𝘳𝘪𝘦 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘋𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘈𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘧𝘰𝘤𝘶𝘴 𝘸𝘢𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘰𝘱𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘸𝘢𝘺𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵-𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘱 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯. 𝘞𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘢 𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘭 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘪𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘺 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘰𝘧 𝘮𝘪𝘤𝘳𝘰-𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘮𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘦𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘶𝘪𝘭𝘥 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢𝘯 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵-𝘴𝘦𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘥𝘢𝘳𝘺 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘢𝘴 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘦𝘯𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘭𝘰𝘺𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘺”.

Brennan McDonald, District Principal of Collegiate Planning and Special Projects, led the project from its inception to its acceptance. Working in collaboration with HPSD executive and the Board of Trustees, he prepared the final application and shared "𝘏𝘗𝘚𝘋'𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘮 𝘦𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘤𝘩𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴𝘦—𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘣𝘪𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘢𝘤𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘳𝘪𝘨𝘰𝘶𝘳, 𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘴-𝘰𝘯 𝘦𝘹𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭-𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘱𝘶𝘳𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘢 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘯”.

Superintendent and CEO Murray Marran was complimentary of the team effort that made this application successful. "𝘜𝘭𝘵𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘺, 𝘸𝘦 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘪𝘧𝘦 𝘢𝘧𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭. 𝘛𝘰 𝘨𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘯 𝘮𝘦𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘧𝘶𝘭 𝘴𝘬𝘪𝘭𝘭𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘦𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘰𝘧𝘧𝘦𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘦𝘨𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘚𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘷𝘪𝘥𝘦 𝘏𝘗𝘚𝘋 𝘴𝘵𝘶𝘥𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘴 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘴𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘤𝘦𝘦𝘥 𝘵𝘩𝘳𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘱𝘢𝘵𝘩𝘸𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘳𝘢𝘥𝘶𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮. 𝘞𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘥𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘉𝘰𝘢𝘳𝘥 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘦𝘴, 𝘸𝘦 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘭𝘪𝘻𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘧𝘶𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘯𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴. 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘭𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯, 𝘷𝘢𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 $1,404,500 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘱𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘴𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘭 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳, 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘰𝘸 𝘶𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘳𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘷𝘪𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘵𝘰 𝘧𝘳𝘶𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯.”

On behalf of High Prairie School Division and the Board of Trustees, thank you to Alberta Education and The Honourable Demetrios Nicolaides for accepting our application. This decision will greatly improve the educational opportunities for our students and our region. Please watch our website for more details as we prepare to unfold this exciting opportunity.