Workforce Partnerships grants

Industry and sector provincewide projects

Technology Alberta - Attracting and Retaining Youth Tech Talent to Rural Communities

This project addresses the workforce challenges faced by rural Alberta tech employers and rural employers with emerging tech needs. It increases visibility of high-quality rural career opportunities, attracting STEM educated urban youth to these roles. This connects talent with rural employers and supports long-term community integration to foster retention and build sustainable talent pipelines.

Electricity Human Resources Canada - Alberta Nuclear Workforce Study

This project will build on Canadian Nuclear Association's National nuclear workforce projections report by assessing the ability of Alberta's workforce to support future nuclear power development. It will analyze competency requirements, evaluate training capacity, analyze skill transfer from other sectors. It will also engage regional stakeholders to identify supply gaps and prepare a nuclear ready workforce for potential reactor deployment. 

Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium - Building Alberta's Manufacturing Talent Pipeline 

Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium’s project responds to 2 key challenges identified by Alberta manufacturers and educators: youth often lack clear guidance into manufacturing careers and employers, especially smaller manufacturers that lack structured onboarding tools to support and retain new workers. To address these gaps, Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium is developing 2 free, co-designed toolkits that offer practical, plain language resources tailored to real manufacturing environments. The Youth Pathway Toolkit helps students understand entry points, required competencies and pathways, while the Employer Onboarding Toolkit provides customizable supports for welcoming and mentoring new workers.

Information and Communications Technology Council - Pathways to Prosperity: Enhancing Youth Employment and Data Centre Workforce Development

This project examines 2 pressing labour market issues in Alberta’s digital economy which are  underemployment among youth aged 18 to 34 and data centre workforce needs. This analysis of talent supply, demand and barriers to workforce entry, will inform strategies to close gaps, support economic growth and strengthen Alberta’s future digital talent pipeline.

Outdoor Council of Canada - Empowering Alberta’s Youth Workforce: A Data-Driven Action Plan for the Outdoor Sector 

This project will address key labour market information gaps by gathering essential data on workforce size, composition and the barriers affecting youth participation. The project will translate these insights into practical tools and a targeted workforce action plan designed to improve employment outcomes for young people in Alberta’s outdoor industry. 

Policywise for Children & Families - Supporting Inclusive Practices in the Food and Beverage Sector

This project expands an inclusive workplace initiative by delivering targeted tools, training and strategic partnerships that help attract and retain newcomer young adults in Alberta’s food and beverage sector.

The International Association of Foundation Drilling - Alberta Foundation Drilling Labour Market Analysis

This project will generate the first industry‑wide workforce intelligence for Alberta’s foundation drilling sector through a comprehensive survey and industry consultation process to identify workforce size, skills gaps, recruitment pressures and training needs. The initiative will provide employers, unions, contractors and training partners with actionable insights to strengthen workforce planning and long‑term labour sustainability in this highly specialized sector.

Wood Manufacturing Council - Workforce Inclusion in Alberta

Wood Manufacturing Council explores Alberta’s wood manufacturing labour market, with a specific focus on the experiences of women and gender-diverse people in the wood manufacturing industry. The project offers actionable insights to help anticipate and address future workforce needs.

Regional projects

City of Fort Saskatchewan Family and Community Support Services - Inclusion in the Heartland -The Value of Difference

This conference is designed to equip employers and industry leaders with practical strategies to create inclusive, resilient and high-performing workplaces. Through keynote presentations, lived-experience panels and interactive workshops, this project aims to unlock untapped talent, reduce turnover and enhance employee engagement across organizations.

Community Futures Entre-Corp Business Development - Aerial Evolution National Student UAS Competition

This project will deliver the 2027 Aerial Evolution National Student Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) Competition in Medicine Hat. This national event will attract Canada’s top aerospace engineering students and employers, strengthening Alberta’s reputation as an aerospace hub and create a pipeline of skilled talent for local employers. The event will feature the student competition, employer networking opportunities with students and a student-industry virtual job fair. It will directly connect employers with emerging talent to help fill their current and future workforce gaps.

Community Futures Entre Corp - Economic Growth Forum 2025

This two-day Economic Growth Forum event focuses on three central themes for Southeast Alberta: regional opportunities, emerging industries and workforce development. This event focus on current economic and workforce conditions creating an environment for attendees to share, discuss and collaborate on how to best implement practices and work together across the region to solve workforce issues.

Community Futures Grande Prairie & Region - Growing the North 2026

Growing the North is the largest economic development conference north of Edmonton, bringing stakeholders together to collaborate and find solutions to local economic and workforce issues. Growing the North 2026 will focus on how to prepare for the near future of the workplace, trends in the labour market of northwest Alberta, engaging underrepresented groups in the workforce, and the importance of entrepreneurship and mentorship in stimulating a strong labour force.

Community Futures Grande Prairie & Region - Hyperdrive 2026

Hyperdrive 2026 is centred on leadership and momentum. Through workshops and facilitated networking, participants gain tools to address labour market challenges such as hiring, retention, leadership and burnout prevention.  The summit strengthens community capacity by creating long term connections between business owners and service providers.

Community Futures Lesser Slave Lake Region - Business on the Lake

The Business on the Lake Conference is a one-day event featuring 6 interconnected sessions, each designed to bridge a gap faced by northern Alberta’s business and workforce ecosystem. Topics include modernizing recruitment practices, AI and digital tools impacting recruitment, engaging youth in the workforce, financial resilience, leadership and capacity building, and wellness in the workplace.

Community Futures Peace Country - Women in the North 2026

Women in the North 2026 is a one-day conference in Grimshaw focused on strategies to strengthen workplaces and communities. Participants will learn practical workforce tools, foster collaboration and support professional growth, which promotes retention and engagement, strengthening the northern workforce.

Community Futures West Yellowhead - Aspire Women in Business Summit

The Aspire Women in Business Summit event will foster regional collaboration, spark innovation and strengthen the entrepreneurial ecosystem for women entrepreneurs in rural and semi-urban areas. Participants will explore labour market trends, identify skills gaps and discuss barriers to hiring, training and retention.

Community Futures Yellowhead East - Barrhead L.I.F.T Business Conference: Growth Driven by Connection

The L.I.F.T. Business Conference’s theme is Growth Driven by Connection. The conference will provide practical tools and strategies to support talent retention, strengthen employee relationships and foster sustainable growth across the Barrhead region.

Community Futures Yellowhead East - Whitecourt Career & Education EXPO/Job Fair 2025

Community Futures Yellowhead East will host a Career and Education EXPO/Job Fair in Whitecourt serving employers, youth and job seekers across the region. This event will allow employers and job seekers to connect, discuss current opportunities and achieve successful employment outcomes, including by focusing on Registered Apprenticeship Program opportunities and trade demonstrations.

City of Grande Prairie - 2026 Youth Career Discovery Expo

This expo is a collaborative, community-driven initiative that provides youth with direct access to employers, career pathways and training resources, helping bridge the gap between education and employment. Through on-site simulators, demonstrations and verbal interactions, employers benefit from the opportunity to showcase their organizations, highlight in-demand occupations and build meaningful connections with their future.

City of Red Deer - Talent Attraction Website

This website is a comprehensive platform designed to support employers with tools, resources and workforce data to better engage skilled workers. The website will act as the central hub for workforce development, providing tools and content to attract, connect and retain talent across the Central Alberta region.

Environmental Careers Organization of Canada (ECO Canada) - Skills, Careers, and Innovations in Environment and Net Zero Exhibit (SCIENZE)

Environmental Careers Organization of Canada will showcase skills, careers and innovations associated with environmental, net-zero and sustainability efforts. Through career exhibitors, innovation showcases, skills workshops and demos, employers will expand their pool of skilled workers and enhance partnerships. It will also promote innovation and technological adoption in the environmental sector. This will increase awareness and understanding of environmental careers, skills and trends.

Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce – Fall 2025 Job Fair

The Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce will host a regional Fall Job Fair to create direct employment connections and support workforce development in the Wood Buffalo region. The event will feature employer booths, on-site interviews, sector-specific networking opportunities and general job search resources. Participating businesses and organizations will promote their job openings to local job seekers.

Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce - Her Leadership Journey

The Her Leadership Journey project will strengthen workforce capacity by equipping entrepreneurs, small business owners and employers with practical leadership tools that support talent retention, workforce participation and inclusive team development. The event targets under-represented groups such as women and Indigenous persons.

Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce - Innovation in a World of AI

This event will focus on the transformative impact of artificial intelligence on workforce innovation, organizational productivity and talent development. Designed to foster cross-sector dialogue and equip employers with actionable insights, the event will advance labour market intelligence and strengthen employer responsiveness to emerging workforce trends.

High River Chamber of Commerce - Career and Employment Expo 2025

The High River Chamber of Commerce will host a comprehensive hiring event in November 2025. The event will inform employers on productivity, time management and employee engagement. The event will strengthen labour market connections in the Foothills region by providing a platform for local employers and job seekers to connect, explore current opportunities and achieve successful employment outcomes.

Hinton Adult Learning Society - Hinton Business Support Network

The Hinton Business Support Network will host monthly roundtable discussions on key workforce issues, including attraction, retention, training and economic transition. These sessions will offer a consistent, collaborative space for employers across industries to exchange ideas, solve challenges and share best practices. By fostering dialogue and coordination, the network will support strategic alignment on initiatives such as housing supports, flexible work arrangements and workforce upskilling.

Jasper Employment and Education Centre - Jasper Works

The Jasper Works project expands Jasper’s workforce strategy by piloting innovative recruitment and retention initiatives that connect local employers with Alberta job seekers. The project introduces new recruitment tools and a structured employer capacity-building program to improve attraction, onboarding and retention. It also includes an Employment Practitioner Exposure Event to give employment support staff firsthand insight into Jasper’s working and living conditions.

Lesser Slave Forest Education Society - Forestry Career Fair

The Forestry Career Fair is an initiative supporting the forestry sector to attract local youth to career opportunities. Two hands-on career events in High Prairie and Slave Lake will focus on supporting local employers to address workforce challenges by showcasing different career opportunities to high school students through direct interaction and hands-on activities.

Lloydminster Construction Association - Bi-Provincial Try-A-Trade 2026

Lloydminster Construction Association’s 2026 Bi-Provincial Try-A-Trade provides employers with the opportunity to showcase careers and jobs in the Lloydminster area. This encourages youth, career changers, newcomers and Indigenous attendees to explore opportunities in the trades. Employers offer interactive, hands-on learning experiences in welding, carpentry, electrical, plumbing and other skilled trades. This helps promote the skilled trades as a first-choice career option.

MD of Greenview No. 16 - Small Business Speaker Series

The MD of Greenview’s Small Business Speaker Series will support small businesses and Indigenous entrepreneurship. It will provide participants with insights into labour market trends, workforce attraction and retention strategies and youth employment pathways. The series will provide targeted support in human resource development, small business growth and employment training to proactively address long-term labour market needs and build a resilient future workforce.

Northeast Alberta Information Hub Ltd. - Preparing for Workforce Demands of Major Projects in Northeast Alberta

This project will deliver 3 regional events across the Alberta HUB region that will strengthen employer participation in procurement opportunities and align workforce readiness with major project demands. The initiative will educate businesses on upcoming major projects, identify and discuss local and regional labour supply, recruitment barriers and workforce requirements tied to these projects.

Okotoks and District Chamber of Commerce - Career & Employment Expo

The Okotoks & District Chamber of Commerce & MCG Careers March 2026 Career & Employment Expo will provide local employers a direct opportunity to connect with job seekers, showcase current openings and build their talent pipeline. Employers can strengthen their visibility in the Foothills region, support successful hiring outcomes and contribute to a more connected and resilient labour market. The project will also deliver a keynote speaker, addressing strategies to help employers deal with economic uncertainty, technological disruption and how U.S. tariffs have hindered recruitment and operations.

Platform Calgary - Calgary Tech Workforce Advantage

The Calgary Tech Workforce Advantage project will deliver quarterly employer roundtables and bi-weekly events, workshops, showcases and discussions on topics like artificial intelligence, technical subsectors and industry innovation. They will connect employers and professionals in structured conversations, provide actionable insights and highlight employer practices that strengthen workforce alignment.

Red Deer & District Chamber of Commerce - Helping Central Alberta Businesses Prepare for the Future of Work

This project will explore and address the evolving labour market needs of Central Alberta businesses. The initiative is designed to support long-term workforce development by developing a comprehensive needs assessment report, a toolkit of best practices for employers, and a stakeholder-informed Action Plan for workforce development.

St. Albert and District Chamber of Commerce Society - AI For All: High-Impact AI for SMB Productivity

The AI for All: High-Impact AI for SMB Productivity is a workforce-focused initiative led by the St. Albert Chamber of Commerce to help small and medium-sized businesses build artificial intelligence literacy and adopt tools that directly enhance workforce efficiency. Through structured sessions including AI fundamentals, productivity applications and sector-specific workshops, participants gain practical, hands-on skills to integrate AI into everyday operations. These sessions are designed to strengthen workforce readiness and adaptability in an economy increasingly shaped by technology.

Town of Canmore - Training Needs Assessment

The Town of Canmore will conduct a comprehensive Training Needs Assessment to analyze workforce trends and identify critical training needs. The assessment will develop evidence-based recommendations to guide employers, training programs, recruitment strategies and retention initiatives. This project will identify current and emerging skills gaps across priority sectors, including skilled trades, hospitality and commercial industries. It will provide actionable intelligence to support workforce planning and labour market adjustments supporting regional employers.

Town of Grimshaw - Career Speed Dating

In the Town of Grimshaw’s Career Speed Dating project, 2 events will directly support employers in the Peace region to showcase local job opportunities, highlight in-demand skills and connect with rural youth and local job seekers through a speed dating style format. The events will help address attraction and retention challenges employers are facing in rural northern Alberta.

Uptowne Olds Association - AI for Business: Tools, Tactics, Transformation Conference

The Uptowne Olds Association's AI for Business Conference is a hands-on full-day event to enhance the digital and AI literacy of rural business owners and leaders. It builds cross-sectoral awareness of workforce shifts driven by technology. This equips participants with practical tools to begin integrating artificial intelligence in their operations, including tools to assist with their workforce.

Vermilion & District Chamber of Commerce Association - Resilient Connected Workplaces

This project will engage employers, employees, and community partners in a collaborative effort to promote men’s mental health in the workplace through a symposium, workplace wellness toolkits and a targeted public awareness campaign during Men’s Mental Health Month.

Whitecourt & District Chamber of Commerce - Whitecourt Economic Forum

This full-day event fosters economic collaboration and workforce development in Northwestern Alberta. The event emphasizes real-world examples of how artificial intelligence is transforming the way businesses, especially small and medium-sized enterprises. It shows how artificial intelligence can reduce workload, streamline process to increase productivity and enhance recruitment, training and retention.

YMCA of Southeastern Alberta Association - Closing the Gap: Linking Youth to Employment

This project includes 2 full-day events, one in Medicine Hat and one in Brooks. It provides employers, job seekers, educational institutions, training providers and service providers an opportunity to connect to address youth unemployment and labour market needs. This includes key sectors experiencing challenges and skills gaps including, health care, trades and agriculture. Employers will have the opportunity to connect with job seekers by conducting one-on-one pre-screening interviews to determine candidacy.

Industry and sector provincewide projects

Alberta Hotel and Lodging Association - Building a Thriving Workforce for Alberta Hotels 

This project will address labour shortages in the Alberta hotel industry by connecting hotels with skilled workers, exploring recruitment strategies for youth, and providing tools and resources to improve HR practices of employers. Through collaboration with industry, the AHLA will help bridge the talent gap, ensuring long-term sustainability.

Alberta Food Processors Association - Toolkits to Support Newcomer and Youth Integration in Alberta’s Food & Beverage Processing Sector

This project will develop two toolkits focused on youth and newcomers designed to address ongoing human resource and labour shortage issues in the food and beverage processing sector. These toolkits will equip employers with strategies to attract, hire and retain youth and newcomers. Employers will gain actionable strategies and resources to improve recruitment, onboarding, and workforce integration of newcomers and youth in the sector. The toolkits will also support employees by providing information on skills training, education, and competencies needed for success.

BILD Alberta - Skilled Labour Youth Campaign

BILD Alberta will launch a targeted digital awareness and education campaign focused specifically on engaging youth on viable career opportunities in residential construction to address the labour shortage of skilled workers. As many young adults are unaware of the opportunities and benefits of pursuing careers in the home building industry in Alberta, the campaign will highlight industry-specific benefits and pathways, and realities of onsite work to attract youth into the residential construction industry.

Canadian Association of Pipeline and Utility Locating Contractors - Underground Utility Location - Career Awareness and Recruiting Campaign

The Canadian Association of Pipeline and Utility Locating Contractors will work with their membership, consisting of predominantly small and medium employers, to develop formalized and consistent position profiles and career path resources to highlight career opportunities within this subsector that is vital to safe construction projects in Alberta.

Canadian Nuclear Association - Canadian Nuclear Workforce Projection

The Canadian Nuclear Association will support the Alberta portion of a workforce needs assessment for the Canadian nuclear industries. With the potential significant expansion of nuclear energy, a major constraint is the necessary talent pool required and lack of workforce data, specifically an analysis of the forecasted demands. Funding from Alberta will increase the number of Alberta-specific inputs for the model to increase the detail of outputs for Alberta.

Canadian Women in Communications and Technology (WCT) - WCT Mentoring Circles to Drive ICT Recruitment

The project will enhance talent attraction for Alberta's ICT sector through an innovative mentorship format targeting women, particularly underemployed individuals and new immigrants, that aligns with real hiring needs. The project directly connects tech employers with a diverse and skilled talent pool while also equipping job seekers with the networks and competencies needed to secure new roles.

Careers in Energy - Energy in Motion 

Careers in Energy will educate youth (18-24) about energy careers, featuring two awareness/education symposiums that will recruit youth to participate in hands-on experiences at SATO Canada’s on-site training facility and the Global Energy Show.

Environmental Careers Organization (ECO) Canada - C-NER-Gs: Cultivating and Nurturing Employer Readiness for Green Growth

ECO Canada will cultivate Alberta's green talent by facilitating employment connections in locations with higher unemployment, building HR capacity of SMEs providing environmental services and sharing best practices at an annual ECO Impact conference.

ENSERVA - Addressing the Shortage of Energy Services Operators

The project will expand and diversify the talent pool for energy services operator roles by increasing awareness of this sub sector while reducing individual, sector, and company barriers that prevent candidates from successfully securing job opportunities.

Regroupement LGBT en Technologie operating as QueerTech -  Inclusive Innovation: Fostering 2SLGBTQ+ Inclusion in Alberta’s Tech Ecosystem

The project will address Alberta’s tech sector labour shortages by connecting 2SLGBTQ+ professionals with inclusive employers through community events and virtual career fairs in Calgary, Edmonton, and Lethbridge. The project combines professional networking with organizational capacity building to create sustainable pathways for diverse talent.

Regional projects

Big Lakes County - Mental Health & Wellness Symposium

The symposium will increase employers’ understanding of the labour market challenges for mental health and addictions service providers in the Lesser Slave Lake region, such as retaining and attracting skilled staff, and will offer insight on how these challenges can be addressed.

Burns Memorial Fund for Children - Industry Association Toolkit for Hiring Opportunity Youth

This project will develop and disseminate a comprehensive, expertly curated Industry Association Toolkit to improve the knowledge, skills, and culture of employers regarding employment of opportunity youth in the Calgary area. The toolkit will provide best practices for attracting, recruiting, onboarding, and retaining youth.

City of Fort Saskatchewan - The Value of Difference: Inclusion in the Heartland

The project brings together employers and underrepresented groups to create an understanding of the value of diversity in the workforce. Employers will enhance their recruitment and retention efforts, foster a more innovative and creative work environment, and attract a wider pool of qualified candidates.

City of Grande Prairie - Youth Career Expo 2025

Employers will educate youth on career opportunities in the Grande Prairie region by interacting with them directly and providing hands-on experiences. The project also supports regional job attraction strategies by including a mini job fair for employers to advertise their summer employment opportunities and receive resumes from youth.

Community Futures Capital Region - Live Day: Community Connection Tours

The event will highlight career/job opportunities in the Parkland County region to students and allow employers to attract and actively recruit job seekers to address their labour shortages. Employers will help educate and engage with students about career/job opportunities and potential career pathways.

Community Futures Entre-Corp - Economic Growth Forum 2024

The two-day forum will focus on three central themes for Southeast Alberta informing attendees of regional activities, new opportunities, and current economic and workforce conditions. It will create an environment for attendees to share, discuss, and collaborate on community/regional economic and workforce development.

Community Futures Grande Prairie & Region - Growing the North 2025

The Growing the North conference brings stakeholders together to promote collaboration and find solutions to local economic and workforce issues, with a focus on Artificial Intelligence in the workplace and its role in workforce development. Employers will learn about ways to use AI to empower and retain workers and to prepare their workforce to adapt to AI.

Community Futures Grande Prairie & Region - Hyperdrive Women in Business Summit 2025

The Summit supports regional job attraction strategies by informing employers about effective recruitment and retention techniques. Particular focus will be on strategies to attract younger talent, tools for building robust business models that can withstand challenges (e.g., disaster preparedness and recovery), and developing relationships with other business owners and stakeholders to help them build a strong recruitment and retention plans for their businesses.

Community Futures Peace Country - Women in the North 2025

Events will be held in Peace River and Manning to contribute to development of a workforce in northwestern Alberta that is adaptable to technological changes, collaborative in diverse settings, and resilient in the face of change. Employers will learn strategies to build stronger teams, increase knowledge of artificial intelligence tools in the workplace, create safer workspaces, and improve workplace communication.

Community Futures St. Paul-Smoky Lake Region - Power up North 2025

PUN 2025 will include a symposium for entrepreneurs, as well as a series of webinars both before and after the event. The theme will be “Becoming the Best Workplace” with a focus on staff retention. The new event format including pre- and post- event webinars to introduce concepts and then provide additional support, will help ensure employers can implement learnings from the event.

Community Futures Yellowhead East - Whitecourt & Area Business Development and Resource Summit 2025

Employers will participate in a series of sessions to learn about and share local resources, tools, and expert guidance on workforce attraction, development, and retention. A keynote speaker will focus on the challenges and opportunities that come with rapid change, increased competition, hybrid work teams, and changing workforce expectations, with a focus on the role health and energy play in an organization’s success.

County of Grande Prairie - Regional Workforce Profile Update Considering the Impact of Immigration

The project involves studying the impact of immigration on six key regional workforce sectors and updating those sector profiles to use in workforce planning. The updated labour market information and workforce profiles will provide a greater understanding of which occupations are in the most demand, support job attraction strategies and workforce planning decision-making, and raise awareness of the workforce needed to grow the regional economy.

Cypress County - 2024 Ag Connections Conference

The Ag Connections conference is a pivotal platform addressing labour market needs in Alberta's agricultural sector, with a focus on workforce development for sustainability and growth. By facilitating knowledge exchange and collaboration among industry stakeholders, including producers, organizations, and educational institutions, the conference addresses critical issues like succession planning, talent competition and foreign labour reliance.

Edmonton Construction Association - Construction Jobs Information Session & Career Fair

The event will provide information on career opportunities in the construction industry to newcomers to Canada and allow employers to attract and actively recruit job seekers to address their labour shortages. Employers will help educate and engage with job seekers about the construction industry, career pathways, providing direct networking with regional construction employers and service providers.

Edmonton Region Immigrant Employment Council (ERIEC) - Global Talent Conference 2025-2026

The conference will serve as a platform to connect Edmonton area employers with skilled immigrant talent through a two-way adaptation process: assisting employers in sourcing, recruiting, and retaining internationally educated professionals, while also supporting newcomers in aligning their career goals with available job opportunities.

Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce - Workforce Development for Small Business Leaders in Wood Buffalo

Employers will learn best practices and tools for workforce management skills, such as developing leadership skills and improving staff productivity through empowerment and engagement. These practices and tools will help businesses in the region develop and retain a resilient labour force, directly contributing to regional economic sustainability and job growth.

High River Chamber of Commerce - Career and Employment Expo High River

This project is a comprehensive hiring event that includes employer sessions and a keynote speaker focused on fostering a collaborative work environment across different age groups. Local employers will expand their knowledge of effective recruitment and retention practices and share their insights, challenges, and needs with local talent.

Lac La Biche Regional Community Development Corporation (Community Futures Lac La Biche) - Power Up North 2024

Employers will enhance their skills related to recruitment, retention, leadership, and leveraging data analysis to build their brand, all of which were requested topics in a comprehensive business scan of the region's entrepreneurs. Power Up North will feature 17 workshops, seminars, and training sessions, as well as a networking event.

Leduc County - Career Connector Symposium Employer Workshop Series

This employer workshop series will enhance employer knowledge of staff engagement and retention strategies helping reduce the demand for labour. Workshops will be held in five communities (Beaumont, Calmar, Leduc, Nisku and Wetaskiwin) and will focus on employers in the hospitality, retail, agrifood/beverage, tourism, and heavy commercial and industrial sectors in the region.

Lloydminster Construction Association - Bi-Provincial Try-A-Trade

The event will allow employers to showcase careers and jobs in the Lloydminster area, and encourage youth, career changers, new Canadians, and Indigenous attendees to explore opportunities in the trades. Each employer will provide hands-on learning for their respective trade, promoting trades as a first-choice career option.

Municipal District of Smoky River - Smoky River Region Labour Market Environmental Scan

This project will support the region's need for labour market intelligence by producing a labour market scan, labour market profiles, and insights into current labour market trends. Results will be used to guide future workforce development efforts.

Municipality of Jasper - Jasper Business Recovery Lunch & Learn Series

The project will help Jasper businesses rebuild and adapt after the Jasper 2024 wildfire. Business owners and managers will hear from expert speakers, engage in discussions, and learn practical strategies to support business recovery, retain employees, and contribute to Jasper’s economic recovery.

Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) - Women In Skilled Trades Conference and Trades Connection Networking Events

The project aims to attract new and retain existing women in skilled trades, including Red Seal trades. The events will provide essential resources, mentorship, and professional connections, driving benefits for employers. By attracting and retaining more women in the trades, employers will tap into a diverse talent pool, helping to address labour shortages and driving increased productivity and innovation within the industry.

Okotoks & District Chamber of Commerce - Career and Employment Expo 2025

A comprehensive regional hiring event that includes a keynote speaker focused on challenges in retaining staff, building collaborative teams, and implementing effective practices for recruitment and staff development, as well as development and distribution of an HR best practices tool kit to employers.

Rocky Mountain House & District Chamber of Commerce - Titans of Trades

This trades-focused job fair will offer employers a unique opportunity to connect with the next generation of skilled tradespeople. Employers will showcase their businesses, build brand awareness, and attract talent to meet workforce needs. In addition, a speaker will highlight the advantages of hiring young employees, as well as how to access funding opportunities to enhance their workforce.

Selections Career Support Services - Untapped Potential Conference

The conference will help educate employers and Human Resources leaders in the area on inclusive recruitment practices. This will help them adapt to the new composition of the workforce and at the same time, address labour market shortages by increasing awareness and participation of persons with disabilities in multiple industries in Edmonton Metro region.

St. Albert and District Chamber of Commerce - Regional Job Fairs

The project will deliver job fairs in Morinville, St. Albert, and Alexander First Nation, connecting employers with a diverse talent pool, including Indigenous and newcomer individuals. The initiative also includes employer workshops focused on creating inclusive job postings, conducting unbiased interviews, and incorporating diversity, equity, and inclusion practices into workplace policies.

Town of Drayton Valley - Drayton Valley and Area Business Support Network (BSN)

A series of workshops and sessions over two years will help employers in the area learn best practices for hiring, attraction, retention, and workforce development while allowing them to network and build relationships within the local business community.

Town of Peace River – Economic Development Committee (EDC) Job Fair

Employers will enhance their knowledge of best practices for hiring, attraction, retention, and development while also allowing them to educate jobseekers and youth about regional labour needs. This project supports regional job attraction strategies by informing employers about HR best practices and informing jobseekers about regional skill needs and opportunities.

Untapped Energy Association - Inclusive AI Literacy Workshop Series

This workshop series will assist employers in Calgary in developing inclusive Artificial intelligence (AI) literacy among their staff and in attracting external talent, ensuring they are better prepared in working alongside AI. Employers will be better able to plan and develop their future workforce in an environment where work is both disrupted and augmented by AI.

Vermilion Chamber of Commerce - Mental Health & Wellness Symposium

Business owners, managers, and employees in Vermilion and region will learn and practice strategies to cope with stress and stressful situations, improve their mental and physical health, become more resilient, and navigate challenging conversations in the workplace. Building skills focused on improving and maintaining employee mental health can improve productivity, reduce absences, and lead to increased retention for employers.

Whitecourt & District Chamber of Commerce - SDI Core Strengths Workshop

This workshop will help employers and their teams to gain a better understanding of their team’s strengths and weaknesses, as well as their workforce gaps. Participants will develop enhanced conflict resolution, communication, and interpersonal skills with the goal to enhance workplace relationships and engagement. Positive workplace environments and culture improve productivity, job satisfaction, and employee retention.

Industry and sector provincewide projects

Aligning Purpose, Profit and Sustainability of Compensation Culture in Tourism – Tourism Industry Association of Alberta (TIAA)
This project will consider labour force development through a full-cost accounting/lifecycle analysis. This fundamental shift in how labour costs are viewed and addressed can bridge the needs, expectations, and understanding of employees to reshape workplace culture and compensation decisions.

Apprenticeships in Alberta: Facilitating Pathways to Apprenticeship and Careers in the Skilled Trades for Racialized Youth and Newcomers – Canadian Apprenticeship Forum (CAF)
This project will support entry into apprenticeships in Alberta by creating awareness by sharing information about apprenticeship with racialized youth and parents and connecting racialized youth and employers through events and job matching services.

Building a Substrate for Diverse and Welcoming Workshops – Wood Manufacturing Council (WMC)
The Wood Manufacturing Council will pilot a project that maps the barriers in the wood manufacturing sector for diverse groups, particularly women of intersectional identities in non-traditional roles. They will determine barriers to entry and address those with change plans. The project will build and implement a change plan to support the sector to address the barriers for women of intersectional identities entering, staying and advancing in wood manufacturing.

Digital Workforce Catalyst Alberta – Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC)
Digital Workforce Catalyst Alberta led by Information and Communications Technology Council (ICTC) provides SMEs a curated centralized digital HR resource hub and opportunities with industry ambassadors for guidance and support to strengthen their recruitment, human resources, and job creation processes to build their longer-term capacity to recruit and retain tech talent.

Inclusivity, Diversity, Equity and Accessibility (IDEA) in Alberta’s Bio-economy – BioTalent Canada
BioTalent Canada will identify the demographic makeup of Alberta’s bio-economy in terms of equity deserving groups and will identify key barriers that prevent equity deserving groups from entering the sector. The project aims to create recommendations for strategies and tools to attract, recruit, integrate, and retain under-represented talent groups in the bio-economy by creating a library of IDEA tools, bringing employers together to create a community of IDEA champions, and having a dedicated concierge to support bio-economy employers in the IDEA journey.

Increasing Indigenous Participation in Alberta’s Tech Sector – First Nations Technology Council (FNTC)
Increasing Indigenous Participation in Alberta’s Tech Sector led by First Nations Technology Council (FNTC), in partnership with Digital Alberta, is a study that includes in-depth participatory research on the demand and supply of tech talent and skill across Indigenous communities in Alberta, including regional in-demand jobs and skills, Indigenous digital entrepreneurship pathways, and experiences, skillsets and aspirations of Indigenous talent. The aim is to equip Alberta’s digital economy employers with the information, best practices, strategies, and knowledge needed to more effectively engage with, recruit, and retain Indigenous workers for their in-demand roles.

Investigating and Addressing Drivers for Workforce Gaps in Alberta’s Mining and Oil and Gas Sector – Mining Industry Human Resources Council (MiHRC)
This project will assess the labour demand for critical occupations in the mining industry and investigate the points of attrition along the tight labour supply pipeline. Results from this analysis will be used to develop Alberta specific customized career initiatives based on MiHRC’s We Need Mining. Mining Needs You. campaign.

ManufacturingGPS: Roadmap to Grow Alberta Manufacturing – Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium (EMC)
The Excellence in Manufacturing Consortium will be leading a project targeting 14 manufacturing sub-sectors that will provide detailed labour market information to enable manufacturers to address current and potential skills gaps and build a more diverse workforce. They will develop an LMI study with actionable recommendations and strategies to attract and retain workers, and to promote and connect job seekers, particularly youth and new Canadians to manufacturing careers. They will be conducting regional workshops to bring together stakeholders to discuss attraction and retention challenges and produce local LMI results and actionable plans for workplace solutions, including under-represented groups.

Pinpointing Challenges that Contribute to the Driver Shortage – Trucking Human Resources Canada (THRC)
Pinpointing Challenges that Contribute to the Driver Shortage, led by Trucking HR Canada in partnership with Alberta Motor Transport Association, aims to increase the attraction and retention of drivers by providing Commercial Truck Driving LMI snapshots, information on the trajectory of driver training graduates, and an exploration of driver compensation and pay structures to better understand:

• why this occupation continues to experience high vacancies
• the career trajectory of newly trained drivers, for example, if they are entering the industry after training, how long they are staying, and how to increase those numbers by identifying barriers
• how much money are companies losing potential business by not paying more to increase driver recruitment and retention

TechHR Catalyst: A Program for Albertan Technology-Based SMEs to Create Jobs – Technology Alberta
TechHR Catalyst: A Program for Albertan Technology-Based SMEs to Create Jobs led by Technology Alberta, in partnership with Prairies Economic Development Canada, supports hiring, recruiting, and onboarding for tech SMEs by providing customizable solutions based on the needs of the company. Experienced industry partners will provide mentorship around best practices in recruiting, hiring, and retaining tech talent with a sector specific lens.

Regional projects

Bi-Provincial Try-A-Trade Career Expo – Lloydminster Construction Association
The Try-A-Trade is an opportunity for Albertans to explore career opportunities in the trades with hands-on learning experiences, such as laying bricks or welding a joint, and interactions with employers and education institutions. The event targets jobseekers, youth, career changers, new Canadians, and other interested individuals, helping address labour shortages in the skilled trades.

Business Catalyst Supports – Sturgeon County
A project to support rural small- and medium-sized job creators in addressing labour market shortages in Sturgeon County by enhancing the competitiveness of rural employers in attracting and retaining talent. It will assist employers with job attraction strategies by increasing their knowledge of best practices for workforce attraction, development and retention. Employers aim to become more appealing to job seekers and gain a competitive edge in attracting and tapping into new emerging talent networks.

Business Expansion and Workforce Development Project (BREWD) – Town of Olds
This labour market study will assess the region’s labour market challenges to develop a strategy and action plan for attraction and retention of labour, essential to ensure a competitive business environment and to serve the needs of the region’s businesses and industries.

Career and Education EXPO/Job Fair 2024 – Community Futures Yellowhead East
Employers will enhance their knowledge of best practices for hiring, workforce attraction, retention and development while allowing them time to educate jobseekers and youth about regional labour needs. This project supports regional job attraction strategies by informing employers about human resources best practices and informing jobseekers about regional skill needs and opportunities.

Connect Hire Screen Industries Career Expo – 1844 Studios
This event will help address labour shortages in the Edmonton film industry by raising the profile of film career opportunities among jobseekers, students and underrepresented groups. The Career Expo will support job attraction initiatives in the film industry by providing production and post-production companies with opportunities to connect with Albertans from diverse backgrounds to build the sector’s workforce.

Crossfield Regional Career Fair – Crossfield Chamber of Commerce Society
This project will support the job attraction strategies of employers in the construction and manufacturing sectors by connecting them directly with job seekers. This will help address the growing demand for skilled trades in both sectors while providing opportunity to connect directly with underutilized labour pools such as youth, newcomers, indigenous people and women. Workshops will support employers in learning tools and strategies for workforce attraction and retention, building capacity to address labour shortages.

Cypress County Ag Connections Conference – Cypress County
The project will promote industry/community involvement and community capacity building to address labour market needs for the agriculture industry in the region by increasing knowledge of labour market intelligence and taking action to address needs of primary agriculture producers in the region.

Drayton Valley Career, Job and Business Expo – Drayton Valley and District Chamber of Commerce
Two in-person events for local employers, support agencies, education institutions and service providers to showcase local employment opportunities, programs and services to attendees. Employers will be able to address their staffing demands and training requirements while networking with other organizations and interacting with job seekers.

Driving Change: Tech Employer Diversity and Inclusion – FLM Studios Inc. (Careers in Technology and Innovation)
The project will investigate the barriers, opportunities and solutions to help diverse professionals find meaningful employment in Calgary’s technology ecosystem by helping improve employer inclusive hiring practices, increasing employer EDI knowledge, increasing connections within the Calgary tech ecosystem, and delivering a report outlining recommendations and actions.

Fall 2023 Fort McMurray Job Fair – Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce
Two job fairs (one in-person and one online) will identify the needs of local employers and connect them with qualified job seekers, including job seekers from outside the region who will explore opportunities in the region.

Future of Work – Red Deer Polytechnic
This project’s events will provide a strategic venue to allow employers to attract and actively recruit job seekers to address their labour shortages. These events will support employers with their job attraction strategies by providing the opportunity to educate and engage with job seekers and students about their industry/workplace and how to build a related career pathway.

Generational Workforce Speaker Event – Whitecourt Employment Services Inc.
Hiring managers and community stakeholders will learn about demographic information that will allow them to plan for and retain workers, in particular younger workers, and will become more aware of emerging and challenging demographics in the labour market to help them improve hiring and HR practices.

Growing the North, Innovative Workforce Strategies – Community Futures, Grande Prairie and Region
The Growing the North conference was created to bring stakeholders together to collaborate on solutions to local economic and workforce challenges. The event will enhance awareness of attraction and retention issues, identify innovative ways of recruiting and retaining quality staff, identify labour market trends to help address local labour shortages, and promote the importance of healthy workplace culture.

Immersive Tech Sector: Labour Market Insights – ELIXR Simulations Association
The project will identify current and future skill demands and opportunities in the immersive technology-based healthcare sector and develop and implement strategies to address labour market needs, such as: identifying skills, training and employment needs in the healthcare sector; increasing collaboration, partnerships and networks between stakeholders, employers and job seekers in the immersive technologies-based healthcare sector; and increasing employment opportunities and career advancement in the sector.

Immigrant Tech Connect Series – Immigrant Techies Alberta
This project will support job attraction strategies of employers in the tech sector by connecting them directly with immigrant job seekers. This will help address the growing demand for skilled talent in the tech industry while unlocking the often-underutilized immigrant talent pool.

Indigenous Cultural Awareness Learning Series – St. Albert and District Chamber of Commerce
This project will assist employers and the business community with job attraction strategies by providing knowledge and tools to enhance cultural competencies, navigate cultural differences, and build relationships with Indigenous communities to better recruit and retain Indigenous talent.

IQubed Conference – Brooks Newell Region (City of Brooks)
A 2-day conference to bring together employers, municipal leaders, and organizations focussed on assisting employers with job attraction strategies by increasing their knowledge of best practices for hiring, workforce attraction and retention. Grant funds will be used for: venue, speaker fees, marketing and printing/signage.

Lakeland Region Business Support Network (BSN) and Employment and Attraction Network (EARN) – Bonnyville and District Chamber of Commerce Society
Monthly networking and learning sessions delivered in St. Paul, Bonnyville and Cold Lake. This project supports regional job attraction strategies by informing employers about HR best practice and by working with employers to develop strategies to address workforce development issues.

Leduc County Career Connector Symposium – Leduc County
The project will promote industry/community involvement and community capacity building to address labour market needs in Leduc County and surrounding regions by providing learning sessions for employers to improve employee attraction and retention strategies and connecting local employers with job seekers through a career/job fair.

Lloydminster Business Education Forum – Lloydminster Chamber of Commerce
Sessions for employers to equip them with tools and knowledge to rethink how they recruit, retain and build a resilient workforce. Employers will learn strategies to attract and retain workers, tools to address workplace mental health to build a more resilient workforce, and how to implement diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.

Medicine Hat Agriculture Forum – Medicine Hat and District Chamber of Commerce
This forum will help regional agriculture employers address labour shortages and develop job attraction strategies by connecting them with national and provincial workforce plans, identifying and discussing regional labour market challenges, and equipping them with a human resources best practices toolkit to help them attract and retain talent.

NurtureHer: Building Bridges to Inclusive Hiring Project – Gradual Rising of Women (G.R.O.W.) Foundation
A series of networking events and diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) educational sessions for employers to foster and improve knowledge related to inclusive hiring practices and support equitable workforce for immigrants, Black, Indigenous and women of colour (BIWoC).

Project C-Labs – C-Tribes Society
The project will address labour market challenges faced by both employers and underrepresented communities, particularly BIPOC individuals, women, immigrants and youth. The project will enhance employers’ knowledge of best practices for hiring, workforce attraction and retention, and will deliver events to foster connections between employers and underrepresented job seekers in the tech and culture industries.

Spark the North – Community Futures Lesser Slave Lake Region
This event was created to support local employers, HR representatives and community leaders with workforce planning by enhancing awareness of attraction and retention challenges and best practices, providing labour market intelligence and trends about the local population and labour market, and promoting the importance of healthy workplace culture to attract and retain staff.

Untapped Potential: Breaking Barriers in the Workforce – Selections Career Support Services
The project will provide employers and human resources practitioners with tools, best practices and strategies on inclusive hiring practices for individuals with disabilities. Employers will increase their awareness this talent pool’s potential to fill labour shortages in various industries, leading to an increase in the participation/visibility of people with disabilities in the workforce.

Vermilion Mental Health and Wellness Symposium – Vermilion and District Chamber of Commerce
The symposium will enable employers and employees to better recognize and manage mental health issues to foster a more resilient workforce and improve employee retention by equipping them with strategies, tools and resources to address mental health challenges in the workplace.

Women in Leadership DEI Labour Market Summit 2024 – Women in Leadership Foundation
This project will encourage, support and facilitate workforce planning and labour market adjustments related to increasing the number of women leaders and voices in the technology and energy sectors, specifically BIPOC women, by increasing employers’ knowledge of workplace DEI policies and practices, barriers faced by women leaders in the workplace, and industry attraction and retention strategies to retain diverse talent.

Women in the North 2024 – Community Futures Peace Country
The event will provide women in northern Alberta, who often have limited access to professional development, with knowledge and information to develop resiliency and leadership skills, supporting workplaces that can better attract and retain employees. Women and local employers will learn about inclusive leadership, inclusive workplaces and supporting mental health in the workplace.

Women Leading Change – Red Deer and District Chamber of Commerce
An event focused on fostering the professional growth and success of women in the business community. The objective is to provide participants with the opportunity to integrate workforce learning, skill development and networking with business leaders.

Workforce Development Keynote Speaker – Fort McMurray Chamber of Commerce
The keynote speaker will address Chamber members, stakeholders and the public on the urgent need for innovative workforce solutions and strategies to thrive the an ever-changing business environment, as part of an event designed to address pressing needs and challenges facing the business community. The project will support a range of industries including energy, oil and gas, technology, retail, hospitality and home-based businesses.

Workforce Development Speakers Event – Community Futures Northwest Alberta
This event will support employers in northwestern Alberta in learning tools and building capacity to address skilled labour shortages. The event targets small businesses in the region with a high demand for skilled workers in sectors such as oil and gas and forestry, who often compete with larger corporations to hire the same talent, making attraction and retention challenging.

Workplace Inclusion Charter – Care for Newcomers Society
The Workplace Inclusion Charter will provide support to employers interested in hiring underrepresented groups by outlining commitments employers can make to improve their understanding, workplace culture and hiring processes. Employers will learn about the need for workplaces to be a place of belonging, fairness and support, and will deepen their awareness and understanding of diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives to better attract, recruit and retain staff from underrepresented groups.

YEG Destination Possibility: Tech Career Event – FML Studios Inc. (Careers In Technology and Innovation)
The event will to increase awareness of Edmonton’s technology ecosystem by helping employers understand the importance of diversity, equity and inclusion in talent acquisition and management roles. Employers will be better able to attract and retain diverse talent seeking opportunities to start or advance their careers in the tech industry in the Edmonton region.