Medicine Hat College marks Alberta Apprenticeship Day with trades showcase
The event, held at the college's heavy equipment technician shop, brought together apprentices, instructors and industry partners to spotlight skilled trades careers.
Why it matters
The event underscores how apprenticeship training supports the skilled workforce that builds and maintains the Medicine Hat region.
Medicine Hat College marked Alberta Apprenticeship Appreciation Day on Monday with an event in and outside its heavy equipment technician shop, recognizing students, instructors and industry partners involved in training skilled trades workers.
College president and CEO Kevin Shufflebotham said the day celebrates relationships between students, faculty and industry. The college offers trades programs including automotive service technician, carpentry, electrical, heavy equipment technician, plumbing, steamfitting and pipefitting, and welding, alongside several pre-employment programs. He noted that graduates directly serve the local region, saying everything built, fixed or serviced in Medicine Hat is done by program graduates.
The provincial government said Alberta now has more than 81,000 registered apprentices, a record high. Advanced Education Minister Myles McDougall said the province has invested $100 million in apprenticeship training for the 2026-27 fiscal year, doubling apprenticeship seat funding at post-secondary institutions over the past four years. The government also said its Union Apprenticeship Grant program supported eight union training centres and more than 1,600 apprenticeship seats in high-demand trades during its first year.
Shufflebotham said highlighting trades as a career path can raise awareness among people considering entering the sector.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.