Income and Employment Supports Act
Income Support, Training and Health Benefits Regulation Section 39

INTENT

The Government of Alberta recognizes that there may be unique circumstances that require an Alberta Works funded learner to access training outside of Alberta. All available training options in Alberta should be exhausted prior to considering a learner for funding to attend training outside of Alberta, however in extraordinary circumstances, a learner may be authorized to attend training in another province.

POLICY

Approved Occupational Training programs are the only training programs that the Government of Alberta may consider for funding outside of Alberta. For an Alberta Works learner to be considered for funding to attend an Occupational Training program in another province, the following conditions must be met:

• the Occupational Training program is not offered in the province of Alberta; 
• the training received from the out of province institution will fill a skill gap which has been identified by the Government of Alberta;
• the training provider is licensed and approved by Advanced Education;
• the Region in which the learner resides must agree to allocate funds to the training program/provider;
• the training program must result in a credential recognized by industry and  employers in the province of Alberta and;
• the prospective learner is present in Alberta at the time they are accepted into an approved training program; 
• the prospective learner is Employment Insurance (EI) eligible.

Occupational Training programs outside of Canada may also be considered under extraordinary circumstances, pending all the above requirements are met. Learner Specialist approval is required prior to approving a learner to attend an Occupational Training program outside of Canada.

All Learner Policies and Procedures and all Employment and Training Programs Policies and Procedures pertaining to Skills Investment Programs which apply to Occupational Training programs provided in the province of Alberta apply to out of province Occupational Training programs. For more information please see Program Approvals and Occupational Training.

Assessment for Out of Province Training

Individuals planning to attend an out of province Occupational Training program should be referred to an Alberta Works Centre or a contracted assessment centre to obtain authorization from a Government of Alberta Official.

A learner applying to participate in an out of province Occupational Training program must have an Employability Assessment completed and meet all eligibility criteria, required of an Alberta Works learner, if they wish to be considered for income support and/or training benefits for a period or period(s) of training.

In addition to meeting the eligibility requirements of an Alberta Works learner, suitability for out of province training should also be determined. Suitability includes factors such as family and personal supports, transportation, knowledge of community, living costs and access to accommodations. For more information on assessment, the Assessment Factors Handbook is available through the Resources section of the online policy manual.

PROCEDURE

In order to complete the referral and ensure funding is available for an individual that has been recommended for an out of province Occupational Training program the following steps must be followed:

• A regional Contract Services Coordinator (CSC) must be contacted to determine if the Delivery region is able to allocate funds to the out of province training provider. 
• The CSC will determine if funds are available and the training program supports regional priorities.
• If the CSC is approving the request, they will complete the EMP 5520 Requesting New or Amendment to Product Provider, Programs and Services Catalogue form and submit it to Mobius Requests to request that a seat and the appropriate allocation be added to the Programs and Services Catalogue.
• The CSC will contact the recommending staff and advise them of their decision.
• The Government of Alberta Official will complete the required entry in Mobius and submit the application to the Learner Income Support Office (LISO) for processing.
• For out of country training, approval will be requested from the Regional Learner Specialist prior to submitting the learner application to LISO for processing.

APPROVAL

Government of Alberta Official/contracted service provider for out of province
Regional Learner Specialist for out of country