November 1, 2005 A Learning Alberta

Day one of Learning Forum establishes groundwork for a learning society

Edmonton... Advanced Education and Technology Minister Dave Hancock kicked off the opening of the A Learning Alberta Forum to nearly 250 post-secondary leaders at the Shaw Conference Centre on November 1.

Calling the Forum "a unique opportunity to harness the collective wisdom of Albertans," Hancock highlighted the significant role that Forum participants were playing in shaping the vision and framework for Alberta's advanced learning environment. "The Forum represents a crossroads," he said. "Everything we envision for the future depends on us becoming a learning society."

Keynote speaker James Burke was asked to stimulate the audience with bold new ideas about a vastly different future for Advanced Education and Technology. He encouraged Forum participants to imagine a future where Advanced Education and Technology and learning are inclusive and not limited to a select few. He profiled the important role of technology and stressed the importance of making connections between information and ideas.

The afternoon panel discussion moved the Forum from broad thinking to identifying priorities for Advanced Education and Technology in Alberta.

Ruben Nelson, Chair of the Creating Tomorrow Foundation, called for Alberta to change its priorities. The challenge for Alberta and for Canada, he said, is to create the world's first post-industrialized country - to become 'Florence North.' He also called on the province to establish a leading centre of world-class research and an understanding of cultural change.

Jennifer Reid, a graduate student from the University of Calgary, identified four priorities: long-term sustainable funding for Advanced Education and Technology, a provincially-regulated tuition fee policy with strict guidelines for institutions, provincially-mandated continuing fees for graduate students, and investing in graduate programs to attract the best and brightest to Alberta.

Willard Kirkpatrick, owner of Maxam Contracting, spoke about how a growing economy and shortages of skilled workers will put increasing pressures on Advanced Education and Technology institutions to train people quickly so they can immediately enter the workforce. Increasingly, he said, those who participate in continuous learning will be there at their employers' request.

Pat Pardo, Director of the Disability Resource Centre and Adjunct professor at the University of Calgary, focused on one word: access. While considerable progress has been made and more children and adults with disabilities are participating in education at all levels, she said more work is needed to ensure that people with disabilities achieve the same outcomes as their peers. By applying the principles of universal design to how we think about and deliver advanced learning, she stressed that we can provide better access for all Albertans, including those with disabilities.

For Indira Samaresekera, President of the University of Alberta, Alberta's competitive advantage depends on the ingenuity of people. The key to our success, she emphasized, is to involve every citizen in post-secondary education, more than once. Her priorities were centred on improving faculty-student ratios, expanding the number of graduate students, providing more opportunities for international education and experience, strengthening citizenship, and cultivating research not only in the sciences but in the arts and humanities. We should strive for nothing less than best-in-class, she said, and having an Alberta university among the top twenty in the world by 2020.

Participants in the afternoon's small group sessions addressed key questions about the proposed vision and policy directions for the future of advanced learning in Alberta.

Tomorrow's sessions will focus on how to get there - identifying key initiatives to move Alberta to a learning society. Reports from small group discussions will highlight ideas generated from participants, and will be followed by closing remarks by Hancock, in which he will lay the groundwork for future directions.