Cuts to provincial training program left thousands without affordable access to continuing education
CBC
More than 2,300 low-income students across Alberta lost access this school year to financial help for courses preparing them for work or post-secondary education after cuts to an aid program.
A change to a federal program that funds work readiness initiatives across Canada left Alberta's Foundational Learning Assistance program (FLA) short $34.7 million, the province says.
It prompted a hasty funding reduction to continuing education programs across Alberta, which was a particular blow to marginalized groups, according to some of the post-secondary institutions running programs.
"It is a population that we're looking to provide opportunities for, and so, that's a little bit on the challenging side to see," said Peter Leclaire, vice-president academic of the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT), in a late-November interview.
More than 40 organizations, including 14 post-secondary institutions, believed there would be nearly $117 million available this school year for low-income students taking academic upgrading courses, English as an additional language, Indigenous post-secondary preparation courses and other training.
For students who qualify, FLA funding can cover the cost of tuition, books, fees and supplies, computer hardware and software, health and transportation costs, living expenses or child care while they're enrolled in courses.
But last summer, the federal government ended a top-up to the Labour Market Transfer Agreement (LMTA) to provinces and territories, resulting in a $70-million funding reduction to Alberta programs. About half of that affected the advanced education budget.
Last fall, the province said it needed time to assess how the funding loss would affect career and post-secondary preparation programs. It now says it has cut the FLA program by nearly 30 per cent.
That funding shortfall prompted colleges, universities and polytechnics to halt or drastically limit taking FLA applications.
Alberta's Advanced Education Minister Rajan Sawhney said in December she was "blindsided" by the federal government's funding reduction.
Although the federal government has said provinces have known since 2017 that top-up funding would end in 2024, Sawhney said the provinces were negotiating to try and convince them to keep it flowing.
The advanced education department is now reviewing FLA, along with other adult education programs, Sawhney said.
"My role is to make sure that we have enough spaces, enough seats and enough supports," Sawhney said. "And even though this program has been impacted, there might be other programs that are expanded upon."
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