Post Event | A Conversation with Hon. Rajan Sawhney, Minister of Advanced Education

On February 5, the Calgary Chamber of Commerce hosted the Hon. Rajan Sawhney, Minister of Advanced Education for a keynote address and fireside chat with Calgary Chamber President & CEO, Deborah Yedlin. This discussion covered several topics including many of the challenges – and opportunities – facing post-secondary institutions, the value innovation has in our economy and the labour concerns facing businesses.  

Minister Sawhney began her remarks by discussing the challenges that post-secondary institutions are facing across the province, from immigration pressures to tariffs to inflation. The Minister also provided some historical context, detailing the MacKinnon report, and the investments made in post-secondaries over the past few years. Minister Sawhney also discussed the Alberta 2030 plan and the internationalization strategy for Alberta’s post-secondaries.

Minister Sawhney also outlined the purpose of the recently announced expert panel on Post-Secondary Institution Funding, chaired by Dr. Jack Mintz. The Minister stated that the purpose of this panel is to examine the funding allocations for post-secondary institutions and the competitiveness of Alberta’s post-secondary system broadly. Recommendations will be made from this panel to the provincial government to improve the competitiveness of Alberta’s post-secondaries and ensure they can support the workforce that Alberta will need in the future. Lastly, Minister Sawhney discussed the value of work-integrated learning programs, such as co-op and apprenticeship programs. Noting the value that these programs hold for the private sector, filling their talent pipeline and supporting opportunities for students and ensuring that the future workforce is supported.

The fireside chat with Calgary Chamber President & CEO, Deborah Yedlin, covered several aspects of Alberta’s post-secondary environment and the talent and labour pipelines in our province, including:  

• Credentialing and upskilling, and the role that Advanced Education plays in this. 
• Alberta’s population growth and how this will impact post-secondaries. 
• The private sector’s role in informing talent development through Alberta post-secondary institutions.  
• Canada’s productivity challenges, and how we can revitalize post-secondaries to assist with these issues.  

Minister Sawhney closed by emphasizing the importance of collaboration between private industry, post-secondary institutions and the government to help solve the labour force issues we are currently facing and ensure that our businesses will have the workers they need to succeed in the future.

Special thanks to our presenting sponsor, University of Calgary, our thanking sponsor, University of Alberta, and our supporting sponsor, Mount Royal University, who made this event possible.