Alberta invests $43M to fund planning at new NAIT training facility

An artist rendering of the future NAIT Advanced Skills Centre. (Source: NAIT)

The province is investing $43 million for more apprentice training in Alberta.

The money will be used to fund planning for the new Advanced Skills Centre (ASC) at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT).

"This is an investment in Alberta's future. It will enable planning and design that will lead to a shovel-ready project and maintain NAIT as a leader in technical and skilled trade education," NAIT president and CEO Laura Jo Gunter told reporters on Tuesday.

The centre, which will be built on a 12-acre lot north of the original main campus, will add 640,000 square feet of new learning space to NAIT's main campus.

The ASC will offer apprenticeship and technology-based education, and will focus on training in construction, transportation, manufacturing, and energy.

"The Advanced Skills Centre will have a modern teaching and learning space," Gunter said. "We will be incorporating technologies in areas such as automation and robotics to ensure apprentices are educated in tech and in the skills that industry needs to remain competitive."

Gunter says the facility will also have an exploratory space dedicated to introducing youth and other communities to careers in skilled trades.

It's expected 4,200 apprentices will receive training at the facility each year.

The province hopes the facility will help address ongoing labour shortages in Alberta.

Construction is expected to start in 2025.