The funding supports domestic students studying healthcare, education and business programs with grants of up to $11,500.
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The province is adding more funding to a bursary that helps post-secondary students live and work in Alberta’s north after graduation.
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The Alberta government announced on Wednesday evening that an extra $573,500 will be added to the Northern Alberta Development Bursary (NADB). The funding supports domestic students studying healthcare, education and business programs with grants of up to $11,500.
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“These programs have been really successful in enticing people to life in the north,” said Tany Yao, UCP MLA for Fort McMurray-Wood Buffalo and parliamentary secretary for Small Business and Northern Development, in an interview. “They’re a really nice attraction tool for getting people to pursue their work and education in northern Alberta.”
Bursaries went to 308 students for the 2023-24 academic year. This includes 72 students supported by the additional funding. About $2.448 million was spent on the NADB this past academic year.
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Yao says he’s happy with the growing demand and popularity for the bursaries. He says it will help people live in northern Alberta as inflation and the cost of living goes up.
The extra funding comes as Keyano College sees record growth. The college will have roughly 3,500 students by the summer, shattering the previous record of 2,900 students. There were 2,700 students enrolled at the end of 2023. As of late February, 1,400 students were international students. Keyano does not want international students to make up more than half of the student body.
Keyano has also applied to become a polytechnic. A polytechnic offers many of the same programs as a college, but has more autonomy than a college and does not need to partner with universities to offer applied degrees. A polytechnic can also work closer with industry groups.
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Advanced Education Minister Rajan Sawhney said in a statement that supporting the NADB program will help fill labour demands in northern Alberta.
“Investing in education is investing in the future of our province,” said Matt Jones, Alberta’s minister of jobs, economy and trade. “Alberta’s government is proud to support these bursary programs, which play a crucial role in providing opportunities for northern Albertans to access quality education and training in fields that are essential to our economy.”
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vmcdermott@postmedia.com
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