NAIT's main campus and how it delivers education in the skilled trades and technologies are set to be transformed, thanks to the coming addition of a major new building and the support of the Government of Alberta.
On May 11, members and supporters of the NAIT community - including industry partners, polytechnic staff and government representatives - gathered on campus for a historic announcement. Premier Danielle Smith and Minister of Advanced Education Myles McDougall spoke at the event, which was emceed by Minister of Children and Family Services, Searle Turton (Carpenter '04).
"Alberta is growing and the supply of skilled workers must keep pace," Premier Smith told an audience of roughly 200 NAIT supporters. "So, I'm pleased to announce that our government is investing $384 million to help build NAIT's Advanced Skills Centre."
To be located directly north of the current main campus, on the empty 12-acre site of a former City of Edmonton transit garage, the Advanced Skills Centre (ASC) will be a groundbreaking teaching space for the skilled trades and technologies. Enabled by the Government of Alberta investment - which follows on $22 million it previously granted for planning and design - construction will soon begin.
Almost as large as the original 1962 campus, the 625,000-square-foot building will accommodate an additional 5,500 students annually, boosting the polytechnic's ability to train the apprentices who will help meet Alberta's mounting needs for skilled workers.
"Every single [student] will get the benefits of a hands-on education informed by what businesses need, and delivered in a state-of-the-art facility," said Premier Smith.
"This is where personal ambitions will meet public plans for an even better province. Tens of thousands of students will secure their dream jobs, and the Advanced Skills Centre will be a major engine of opportunity and prosperity."
"Let's do the right thing"
"Everyone here today knows that skilled trades play an essential role in Alberta's economy," said Minister McDougall, following Premier Smith's comments. "As demand continues to grow, Alberta needs more training spaces and modern facilities that reflect how work happens on real job sites.
"This project responds directly to that demand."
The need for such an investment in education has never been so acute. According to Employment and Social Development Canada, nearly 700,000 skilled trades professionals are set to retire nationally by 2028. Locally, BILD Alberta expects around 20% of skilled workers to hang up their hard hats by 2030.
While the ASC will increase the quantity of apprentices and technologists, it will also produce uniquely qualified graduates.
With PCL Construction as project manager, the facility will be built to house 29 NAIT trades and technologies programs across construction, transportation, manufacturing and energy. It will feature learning spaces designed (by GEC Architecture and Dialog) to bring various disciplines together in ways that reflect modern industry. Different trades will work side by side in shared environments, as well as interact with the technologists, illustrating and emphasizing the importance of collaboration and coordination to the worksite.
Naseem Bashir (Electrical Engineering Technology '88) sees the building as key to addressing a labour shortage that he recalls hearing about as far back as his studies at NAIT in the mid-1980s. But he also believes it will help set a new approach to construction in general.
"We need to redesign the workforce in terms of how [trades] work with each other," says Bashir, a member of the Skilled Trades Council, a recently formed advisory group to NAIT.
As the executive chair of Originus, parent company of two Edmonton-based engineering firms, Bashir knows that the economy, and companies like his, will thrive with a more efficient and productive workforce. He sees that goal at the heart of a collaborative, inclusive ASC.
The ideal result, says Bashir, is that Alberta can "get more done with the same amount of capital." Such an achievement, he adds, could contribute to the development of communities, see key infrastructure needs met, and create the conditions for skilled workers from all walks of life to thrive.
"It's just good for Alberta," Bashir adds. "Let's do the right thing."
A new era in education
NAIT president and CEO Laura Jo Gunter is of the same mind. "Today's announcement affirms a shared vision," she told event attendees. "It recognizes that when we invest in hands-on, industry-aligned learning, we invest directly in Alberta's future prosperity."
The ASC is set to welcome its first cohort of students in fall 2030, building on decades of what Minister McDougall sees as the polytechnic's history of providing practical, hands-on education and training designed to meet the evolving needs of industry.
"Together, NAIT and Alberta's government are helping prepare the next generation of skilled trades professionals," he said.
With the building site recently honoured in an event overseen by the cultural adviser from the Nîsôhkamâtotân Centre at NAIT, and construction cranes ready to move into place, Minister McDougall was projecting a legacy of positive impact.
"The Advanced Skills Centre will train thousands of additional apprentices each year and in support of Alberta's workforce for decades to come."
Which means the ASC stands to mark a new era of leadership in how NAIT meets the need for trades and technology education in Alberta and beyond.
"We're so delighted to be able to support NAIT in this incredibly important project," Premier Smith said.
"I'm glad that we can count on you for the next step forward."
For more information
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