GRANDE PRAIRIE REGIONAL COLLEGE - The Alberta Colleges Economic Recovery Task Force has released its final recommendations after months of work that included a series of roundtables and stakeholder consultation sessions with industry, government, economic development, Indigenous peoples, and students. The Task Force’s findings reinforce that Alberta’s colleges are ideally positioned to work with key partners to address economic development challenges across the province given their agility, commitment to applied research, and their strong connectivity to industry. 

The Task Force’s final report focuses on four core themes of importance to Alberta’s economic recovery: Indigenous Peoples’ participation in post-secondary education and the workforce, student participation and integration into the workforce, talent and skills development, and industry connectivity. 

“The Task Force’s July 2020 report focused on immediate areas of action for the colleges, government and industry to address the province’s economic challenges. Our final report builds on our initial recommendations and highlights existing strengths in the system, identifies areas for improvement, and provides solutions for a collaborative approach to expedite the province’s economic recovery,” said Dr. Robert Murray, Chair of the Alberta Colleges Economic Recovery Task Force and President and CEO of Grande Prairie Regional College. 

The recommendations included in the final report are centered on four themes: 

1. Indigenous Peoples’ Participation in Post-Secondary Education and the Workforce: Alberta’s colleges recognize the necessity to link Indigenous learners to the workforce and the essential role they will play in the immediate and ongoing economic recovery. 
    
2. Student Participation and Integration into the Workforce: Alberta’s colleges recognize that work-integrated learning opportunities for students, and learning-integrated work opportunities for employees are essential to meet immediate workforce needs while increasing creativity and innovation in a wide range of businesses and industries. 
    
3. Talent and Skills Development: Alberta’s colleges recognize that the future is cross-functional and cross-sectoral. Modern approaches to skills development and competency-based training will provide a unique, strategic, and competitive advantage for attracting talent and investment. 
    
4. Industry Connectivity and Industry-Driven Solutions: Alberta’s colleges recognize the need to continue to enhance relationships that connect to training, talent, applied research, and business intelligence, thereby developing long-standing partnerships to build a resilient workforce. 
    

Read the final Alberta Colleges Economic Recovery Task Force recommendations here.  

The members of the Task Force include:  

• Dr. Robert Murray, Economic Recovery Task Force Chair, and President and CEO at Grande Prairie Regional College
• Dr. Paula Burns, President and CEO at Lethbridge College
• Nancy Broadbent, President and CEO at Portage College
• Dr. Peter Nunoda, President at Red Deer College
• Elan MacDonald, Senior Vice-President at Global Public Affairs
• Joseph Lougheed, Partner at Dentons Canada LLP
• Lynette Tremblay, Vice-President, Strategy and Innovation at Edmonton Global
• Justin Riemer, Assistant Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Western Economic Diversification, Government of Canada
• Joan Hertz, Board Chair at ATB Financial
• Bill Werry, Executive Director at the Council of Post-Secondary Presidents of Alberta, serves as an observer to the Task Force.
• Peter Leclaire, Assistant Deputy Minister, Advanced Learning and Community Partnerships Division, Government of Alberta, serves as an observer to the Task Force. 

Read more about the Task Force members here.