With two schools now hosting dual credit programs, the Calgary Catholic School District (CCSD) is investing heavily into Alberta’s trade industry and other tech-based careers.
For the 2025-26 school year, the district applied for and was awarded the maximum available funding for the dual credit enhancement and dual credit start-up grants, receiving $100,000 and $50,000, respectively.
The CCSD has also allocated $405,000 in its 2025-26 budget to support ongoing dual credit programming, on top of the dedicated provincial cash.
This comes after both Our Lady of the Rockies and St. Mary’s school have adopted dual-credit courses since 2024. Moving forward, the number of benefitting students is unknown, as the program will be “driven by student interest,” Steve Laberge, a Supervisor, Teaching and Learning with the CCSD, said during the Sept. 10 board meeting.
“Last year we did just under 100 students, this year we’re hoping to do almost 250 students,” he said. Programs can range from $400 per student to $6,000, Laberge said.
“If you take our pharmacy assistance program, for example, they literally leave with a certificate and can work in a pharmacy and are getting that head start,” he mentioned. Pharmacy assistance programs are said to be on the higher end of per student costs.
The over half-a-million-dollar budget is said to support CCSD students in diverse fields, as well as prepare students for careers that don’t yet exist, according to Trustee Mary Martin, during the Sept. 10 CCSD board meeting.
The dual credit enhancement grant can be used to purchase equipment or upgrade facilities to meet industry standards, or to better connect students to the modern workforce through enhancements to existing dual credit opportunities, according to the CCSD.
Through Apprenticeship Pathways, a partnership with the Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, the funding will be put towards facility upgrades for automotive, construction and welding programs, among others.
Enhancements will support Grade 10-12 students participating in Registered Apprenticeship Programs, Dual Credit Pre-Employment courses, Exploratory programs and Work Experience Programs.
The dual credit start-up grant can be used to create new dual credit programming directly with post-secondary institutions, like the upcoming CCSD-Bow Valley College Digital Futures Partnership, an opportunity that connects directly with innovation programming at Our Lady of the Rockies and St. Mary’s Schools, but is open to all CCSD students, according to the district.
The initiative will support over 40 students in courses such as video game design, e-sports, smart technology, and AI and machine learning.
Laberge said that in the past, the district has partnered with Bow Valley College, but it has been several years since students have been able to access the school’s programming and facilities, with many advancements made during that time.
The district’s investment comes six months after Alberta Education and Childcare Minister Demetrios Nicolaides announced province-wide dual-credit investments.
