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Background Information

Dual credit is optional, career-focused high school programming that supports students in making meaningful transitions to post-secondary education or the workplace. In Alberta, dual credit programming is authorized and funded by Alberta Education and Childcare. Students in Grades 10–12 can earn both high school credits applicable toward the Alberta High School Diploma or Certificate of High School Achievement and post-secondary credits that may count toward a certificate, diploma, degree, or journeyperson certification. Post-secondary credits earned may also be used for admission or transfer at post-secondary institutions (N. Stelnicki & R. McFarland, personal communication, December 3, 2025).

Dual credit programming in Alberta is guided by a provincial vision that provides students with access to personalized learning opportunities and meaningful career exploration. It connects students to academic, hands-on, and experiential learning experiences that support successful transitions to post-secondary education, apprenticeships, and employment. Provincial goals focus on improving high school completion, increasing participation in post-secondary education, and strengthening connections to the labour market, reinforcing the importance of student-centred, flexible, and sustainable programming (N. Stelnicki & R. McFarland, personal communication, December 3, 2025).

This provincial direction is reinforced through recent government priorities that emphasize expanding career education across Grades 7–12 and creating clearer transitions to post-secondary education, apprenticeships, and the workforce. Alberta’s Career Education Task Force Report highlights the importance of strengthening learner pathways, reducing barriers to access, and enhancing partnerships among school authorities, post-secondary institutions, and industry (Alberta Education, 2023a). Similarly, mandate letters for Education and Childcare and Advanced Education reinforce the priority of expanding career education, advancing skilled trades and vocational pathways, and supporting student transitions to in-demand careers (Government of Alberta, 2025a, 2025b).

As outlined in Alberta’s Draft Dual Credit Handbook and the Dual Credit Implementation Guide: Supporting the Alberta Dual Credit Framework, students can earn high school credit and may, in some cases, earn post-secondary or apprenticeship credentials, depending on the course type and successful completion of requirements (Alberta Education and Childcare, 2025; Alberta Education, 2023b). Dual credit courses are offered as either single-enrolled or dual-enrolled. Single-enrolled courses are typically delivered within the school authority by certificated teachers and may include apprenticeship-focused learning, including participation in the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP). Dual-enrolled courses are offered in partnership with post-secondary institutions and are typically delivered by post-secondary instructors in collaboration with certificated teachers, providing access to post-secondary-level learning while remaining connected to high school programming.

School authorities play a central role in leading the development and implementation of dual credit programming, working collaboratively with post-secondary institutions and industry partners to design opportunities that reflect local context and priorities, as outlined in the Dual Credit Implementation Guide: Supporting the Alberta Dual Credit Framework (Alberta Education, 2023b). Through these partnerships, including within collegiate school models, dual credit programming expands access to specialized learning opportunities and strengthens connections between K–12 education, post-secondary education, apprenticeships, and the workforce. School authorities have the flexibility to develop pathway opportunities that align with local workforce needs, student interests, regional priorities, and partnership capacity.

References

Alberta Education. (2023a). Career Education Task Force Report. Government of Alberta. https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/3c2dc71d-5922-4b18-84c3-3dedb361ec85/resource/9655a771-9dfa-4057-9ae4-29131433a9d5/download/educ-career-education-in-alberta.pdf

Alberta Education. (2023b). Dual Credit Implementation Guide: Supporting the Alberta Dual Credit Framework. https://open.alberta.ca/publications/dual-credit-implementation-guide

Alberta Education and Childcare. (2025). Draft Dual Credit Handbook. Government of Alberta. https://www.alberta.ca/system/files/ecc-draft-dual-credit-handbook.pdf

Government of Alberta. (2025a). Mandate letter: Minister of Education and Childcare. Government of Alberta. https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/b0769b96-7a45-40b5-b57c-415ff82aca49/resource/80d330fe-102a-4671-83eb-9fcddd3424b6/download/ecc-mandate-letter-education-and-childcare-2025.pdf

Government of Alberta. (2025b). Mandate letter: Minister of Advanced Education. Government of Alberta. https://open.alberta.ca/dataset/b0769b96-7a45-40b5-b57c-415ff82aca49/resource/6e4d71aa-ec6b-4b01-bf15-4d05e92dd172/download/ae-mandate-letter-advanced-education-2025.pdf