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By rdnewsNOW Staff

Taking flight

Province announces funding to help underrepresented Albertans in aviation industry

Apr 13, 2023 | 11:00 AM

The Alberta government has announced a $5 million investment to diversify the aviation industry and help position the province as Canada’s aviation hub.

Officials say Alberta’s aviation industry is growing, with recent investments and expansions from companies including De Havilland Aircraft of Canada Ltd., WestJet, Condor, Lynx Air, Flair Airlines, and Porter Airlines. As a result of the rapid growth, they say the industry is experiencing challenges filling positions.

The announcement is part of the government’s “Alberta at Work” initiative, a $700 million multi-year investment to address critical labour shortages and help Albertans develop new skills to grow their careers.

The province states the funding will be used to open seats in Elevate Aviation programs, an established not-for-profit training provider offering skills development and career exploration services for women at their centres.

The government claims the programs will prepare more Albertans for high-demand jobs, including aircraft maintenance, ground crew, drone operations and air traffic control.

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“Alberta is well-positioned to be Canada’s next aviation hub. By fostering the development of the infrastructure and workforce our province needs, we are opening the doors to the world. Elevate was an obvious partner to help Albertans to grow in their careers and to support the growth, diversity and vitality of the aviation industry in our province,” said Brian Jean, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Northern Development.

Officials claim the Elevate Aviation Learning Centre has a successful track record of preparing women for a career in aviation through their nine-week Women’s Employment Skills Training (WEST) program and Elevate U skills training options. Elevate states they work closely with aviation and aerospace companies to help trainees secure employment and prepare for meaningful careers.

“This partnership between Alberta’s government and Elevate Aviation will create more opportunities for Alberta’s women to grow in their careers and support the growth, diversity and vitality of the aviation industry in our province,” said Tanya Fir, parliamentary secretary for Status of Women.

The province confirms the grant, starting in 2022-23 and ending in 2024-25, will be open to all applicants but will focus on recruiting women and underrepresented groups for an aviation career.

“This funding is going to have a great impact on the future of the aviation and aerospace industry. Not only will it improve our ability to provide innovative training opportunities for today’s aviation workers, it will also support the future of the industry by promoting the aviation sector as an appealing and rewarding career choice for all genders and diverse groups,” said Kendra Kincade, President and Chief Executive Officer of Elevate Aviation.

The provincial government says they are making other strategic investments to enable further growth in the aviation industry and keep up with demand.

In infrastructure, Budget 2023 includes $30 million to support the Red Deer Regional Airport expansion. As well, support for community airports is also available through the Strategic Transportation Infrastructure Program, which allocates $92.3 million in funding over three years.

The Alberta government also notes they have invested $11 million over the next three years into training more workers for the aviation industry through Advanced Education:

• $6 million to support Mount Royal University’s establishment of 120 seats over four years in their new bachelor of aviation management program
• $4.5 million into $10,000 student bursaries
• $500,000 to support an aviation centre of excellence