Income and Employment Supports Act Part 1 Section 4
Income and Employment Supports Act Part 3 Section 20
Income and Employment Supports Regulations
Employment Insurance Act
Labour Market Development Agreement

INTENT

The Government of Alberta through its Employment and Training programs and services provides opportunities for Albertans to make successful transitions from school to work, unemployment to employment and from one career path to another.

The Government of Alberta is committed to increasing the capacity of Albertans to respond to the changing skills and abilities required by a changing economy and demand for an ever-increasing knowledge-based skilled workforce. A variety of Albertans are served, including low-income individuals, Aboriginal people, immigrants, persons with disabilities, youth and older workers.

To achieve the objectives of a knowledgeable, skilled workforce now and in the future, the Government of Alberta works with other government departments, training providers, business, industry and employer/employee associations to develop strategies to support individuals and communities.

The goals of Employment and Training Services are to:

• increase opportunities for Albertans to make successful transitions from school to work, unemployment to employment, and from one career path to another, and
• increase the capacity of Albertans to respond to changing skills, knowledge, and abilities required by the economy.

Programs, services and supports include:

• Skills Investment programs and services
  • Career Information
  • Training for Work
  • Work Foundations
  • Workforce Partnerships
    
• Supports to Skills Investment programs and services
  • Disability Related Employment Supports
  • Part-Time Training

Delegation of Signing Authority

The Statutory Executive Director is responsible under the Income and Employment Supports Act (IESA) to delegate signing and approval authority for:

1. policies and procedures for Career Information, Work Foundations and Training for Work programs and services. The delegation of authority is set out in the policy manual in each policy document.
2. agreements with training providers to provide training and services in accordance with departmental signing limits for contracts.

IESA
Part 1 Section 4 Delegation of authority
A Director may authorize any employee of the Government, any training provider or an Indian or Métis organization or an employee of such an organization to exercise any powers or perform any duties and functions conferred on the Director by this Act or the regulations.

Part 3 Section 20 Agreements with training providers
The Director may, subject to the regulations, approve training programs and enter into agreements and other arrangements with persons to provide them.

Career Information

Career Information provides programs and services that give Albertans the information and resources they need to make well-informed career, education, employment and business decisions. These include:

• Career Development Services – includes assessments, individual service plans, service management, career consulting and workshops.
• Exposure Courses – provides job-ready individuals with the opportunity to obtain the job specific skills required for employment in as short a time period as possible.
• Job Placement Services – helps individuals locate, obtain, and maintain jobs. It connects individuals who are ready, willing and able to work with employers needing to fill jobs.
• Alberta Works Centres – provides well-equipped offices where people have access to job finding and career planning resources.

Supports to Employment and Training Services

Disability Related Employment Supports
Disability Related Employment Supports (DRES) are employment supports to all of the Government of Alberta's Skills Investment programs and services. DRES provides employment and training supports to people with disabilities to assist them to overcome the barriers they may face in obtaining and maintaining employment. DRES is designed to address the barrier(s) to employment created by their disability.

Part-Time Training
Part-time training is an alternative to full-time participation and is available in a number of Skills Investment programs. Bursaries are available to Albertans who qualify for part-time training.

POLICY

The Government of Alberta offers services and programs under Alberta Works to provide employment and training services for adult residents of Alberta who:

• are in need of training to obtain and/or maintain sustainable employment,
• meet all eligibility criteria, and
• need training for jobs in areas of labour and skills shortages.

Program Delivery

Individuals may access services and programs through:

• Alberta Supports/Alberta Works Centres
• contracted training and service providers

Employers may provide training and work experience for Government of Alberta clients or learners and may be from for-profit, non-profit or public sectors.

To strengthen relationships with employers, industry, organizations and community groups with common labour market needs, increased workforce partnerships are essential. See Labour Market Partnerships Program.

Work Experience

Skills Investment programs may include a work experience component.

• The need for a work experience course must be clearly identified in an individual’s Service Plan.
• Prior to a work experience placement, the supervising instructor, learner and employer must agree to a learning plan that identifies expected learner outcomes and work activities.
• Learners participating in work experience must abide by the policies of the training provider and the Government of Alberta.
• Employers do not receive any compensation from the Government of Alberta for providing work experience opportunities for learners.
• Work experience must NOT be used as a substitute for volunteer work.

Program Monitoring

The Government of Alberta is responsible for monitoring Skills Investment programs to ensure:

• local practices are consistent with Government of Alberta legislation and policies, and
• providers of tuition-based and contract-based delivery follow monitoring practices consistent with policies for risk management.

The Government of Alberta is responsible for monitoring program performance and outcomes. At a provincial level, the Division monitors programs to:

• review provincial program results and determine if business plan objectives are being met,
• review any issues or concerns in provincial program policies, in consultation with the Delivery Services Division, and
• make adjustments to program policies where required.

Performance Measures and Standards

The expected outcomes of training programs are:

• increased employability,
• post-program employment that allows individuals to have earnings as their primary source of income,
• progression to post-program integrated or occupational skills training, or
• progression to post-secondary education.

The Government of Alberta defines success as having 70% of learners employed or in further employment-related training within 3 months (90 days) of completing the program. Some exceptions may apply (i.e. Transitional Vocational Program).

Accountability - Performance Measures are outlined in the Alberta Works On-line Policy Manual.

Program Evaluation

Program evaluations are carried out in partnership with the Government of Alberta.

Appeals

Individuals have the right to request a review of decisions, or in some cases, a formal appeal, regarding decisions made by the Government of Alberta. Appeals and internal reviews of decisions are available to ensure that the Government of Alberta's decisions are fair and equitable, and are supported by legislated or regulated authority. For the complete policy, see Appeals and Decision Reviews.

Skills Investment Strategy