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By rdnewsNOW staff

Rajan Sawhney

Minister of Advanced Education receives mandate letter from Premier Smith

Jul 21, 2023 | 1:50 PM

Premier Danielle Smith has issued a mandate letter to Minister of Advanced Education Rajan Sawhney calling on her to support economic growth through a strong post-secondary system.

In her letter, the Premier outlines her expectations that Alberta continues to be a place that people can realize their potential and pursue opportunities, and asks Minister Sawhney to deliver on platform commitments to support Albertans, including:

• Increasing and accelerating auto-credentialing for workers from national and international jurisdictions with similar standards.
• In coordination with the Minister of Treasury Board and Finance, designing and implementing an up to $10,000 graduate retention tax credit for Alberta’s post secondary graduates.
• Funding additional aviation management seats at Mount Royal University and other post secondary institutions, and providing grants to help more Albertans pursue a career in aviation.
• Investing $4 million per year to add more mental health professional spaces in Alberta’s post-secondary institutions.

The Premier also tasks Minister Sawhney with:

• Reviewing Alberta’s professional governing bodies and post-secondary institutions, for the purpose of making recommendations to protect the free speech rights of Alberta professionals.
• Exploring the development of a teaching certification program that would shorten the time it takes an individual with a degree or diploma to become certified to teach in Alberta’s K to 12 education system.
• Providing recommendations to strengthen provincial grants for medical and other post-secondary research so an increased number of research topics can be supported and explored by Alberta-based researchers.
• Working with Alberta’s established medical schools to examine ways to increase the number of physicians trained in Alberta, particularly in rural areas, by partnering with other post-secondary institutions.
• Implementing the Professional Governance Act to ensure a uniform governance framework exists for all professional regulatory organizations
• Working with the Minister of Technology and Innovation to ensure appropriate governance of software engineers that does not compromise the tech industry’s ability to attract needed software engineers from around the world.
• Acting as Alberta’s lead advocate and champion of the skilled trades and professions to ensure, as early as junior high, that this education track has parity of esteem as a desirable education pathway that will lead to highly rewarding careers.
• In the context of skilled trades, taking a leadership role in meeting the evolving needs of the economy with a focus on ensuring journeypersons obtain needed skills for the modern economy.
• In collaboration with the Minister of Education, reviewing the Skills for Jobs Task Force Report, and advance key recommendations from the report pertaining to your ministry.
• As lead, working with the Minister of Health to develop streamlined auto-credentialling for front-line health-care workers, doctors, nurses and paramedics.
• Continue working with career colleges and other educational institutions to develop pathways to become accredited to deliver diplomas and degrees.
• Working in cooperation with the Minister of Education, funding growth of “CAREERS” with public and separate school divisions to increase student participation in off campus programs/paid internships.
• Collaborating with the Minister of Education to develop and promote career educational scholarships in areas of labour shortage for Alberta’s K to12 students.
• Assisting each ministry to execute on their mandate to design a ministry-specific job-attraction strategy that raises awareness for young Albertans (aged 16 to 24)and adults changing careers of the skilled trades and professions available in each economic sector including pathways for education, apprenticeship and training.

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“Alberta’s economy is firing on all cylinders. This mandate gives me the tools I need to build and strengthen a responsive, sustainable system that supports those seeking to broaden and hone their skillset. We will be better equipped to meet the workforce demands of today and tomorrow; keeping Alberta moving forward,” says Rajan Sawhney, Minister of Advanced Education.

Rhiannon Hoyle, Alberta NDP Critic for Advanced Education, made the following statement in response to Rajan Sawhney’s mandate letter:

“This letter is sheer economic incompetence from Danielle Smith and the UCP. The government’s own projections say we will see 30,000 new post-secondary students seeking an education over the next four years, but Danielle Smith and Rajan Sawhney have absolutely no plan to create spaces for them.

“A post-secondary education should be the ticket to a better income and a higher standard of living, but the UCP is pushing that ticket out of reach for so many Albertans with years upon years of massive tuition increases and interest rate hikes above prime. Smith clearly does not care about Alberta students paying soaring tuition costs either.

“Alberta’s university presidents have already identified a worrying trend of young Albertans leaving our province to pursue their education, and ultimately their careers, due to the soaring cost of tuition. Danielle Smith’s mandate letter makes it clear that she intends to keep chasing young Albertans out of our province.”