Campus Alberta Planning Resource

The Campus Alberta Planning Resource is an annual profile of Alberta’s advanced education system, published by Alberta Advanced Education and Technology. It provides a common source for data on demographics, enrolment, and economic factors that impact demand for post-secondary education and the capacity of post-secondary institutions to meet this demand. This helps to ensure that Campus Alberta can respond to the needs of learners, the economy, and society in all regions across the province.

The purpose of the Campus Alberta Planning Resource is to:

• Provide post-secondary institutions with a common foundation of data and information to support planning and decision-making;
• Encourage all the different stakeholders in Campus Alberta to work together in order to meet the needs of Albertans efficiently and sustainably; and,
• Highlight opportunities, challenges, and key policy directions to Campus Alberta moving forward.

• This year, the name of the document has changed from the Campus Alberta Planning Framework to the Campus Alberta Planning Resource. 
• As well, the Campus Alberta Planning Resource provides a greater breadth of data and information than did the Campus Alberta Planning Framework.  This includes data and information about research and innovation, more information on student transitions, and the inclusion of data on student financial assistance for the first time.  Also new to the Campus Alberta Planning Resource are a series of Campus Alberta Success Stories that highlight our achievements as a system.
  

• Alberta’s population is aging, with negative population growth of -5.0% forecasted for the 18-34 year old age group over the next decade.
• Rates of population growth and aging vary among regions of the province.

• Albertans tend to delay transition to post-secondary education after high school.  In 2009-10, Alberta’s four-year high school transition rate was 37.8% and its six-year transition rate was 59.3%.
• However, Alberta’s level of educational attainment is on par with the Canadian average. Alberta’s high level of educational attainment is due, in part, to the strong numbers of educated people moving to the province for work.
• In 2010, over 56% of Albertans had a post-secondary qualification.  This is an over 5% increase from 2004.

• Alberta’s post-secondary enrolment has been steadily increasing, averaging about 2.72% per year over the past decade.  Preliminary enrolment reports for the 2010-11 academic year estimate an annual system-level enrolment increase of 0.32% from the previous year.
• Aboriginal learners comprise about 3% of enrolment at Alberta post-secondary institutions.
• Alberta’s post-secondary system can expect an enrolment increase of approximately 14,500 FLEs (Full-Load Equivalent Enrolment) over the 2009-19 period.

• International students make up about 6% of enrolment at Alberta’s publicly-funded post-secondary institutions – about 12,600 students in 2009-10.
• International students also make up a significant proportion of Alberta’s graduate student population. In 2009-10, almost 20% of Master’s Degree and almost 33% of PhD students were international students.

• Significant upfront investments have been made in recent years to increase Campus Alberta’s capacity to meet higher learner and economic demand.
• While the number of Albertan turn-aways increased in fall 2009, another 3,500 students received offers of admission compared to the previous year.
• The turn-away measure is used as an indicator of how well the system is doing in responding to demand for post-secondary education in the province.
• A turn-away is an individual that met the minimum qualifications in at least one of his/her applications to post-secondary education at one of Alberta’s publicly-funded institutions, but was not offered admission and did not attend any program to which they applied at any publicly-funded institution in Alberta in that academic year.
• The number of applicants to Alberta’s publicly-funded post-secondary institutions in 2009–10 increased 4.1% over the previous year. Application trends are impacted by institutional activities, student behaviour, and the strength of the economy.
• Programs with the greatest student demand continue to be those with the highest labour market demand, namely those in health sciences and trades and technology program bands.
• As demand fluctuates with the province’s economic context, maintaining the right degree of flexibility in the system must be a priority.

Key directions emerging from CAPR 2011’s profile of Campus Alberta include:

• Respond to Access Demands
• Support access in priority program areas through effective planning.
• Reflect Alberta’s need for a highly educated population, with graduates from a diversity of programs and credentials.
• Continue to recruit and retain learners from outside Alberta. These international recruitment efforts should align with government strategic directions and focus on areas that show the greatest return on investment.
• Strengthen strategies and learner supports that contribute to increased post-secondary participation of people traditionally underrepresented in Alberta’s advanced education system.
• Enhance Learner Pathways
• Build on existing transfer opportunities and systems in the province.
• Better integrate practices that recognize prior learning and work experience, providing clear and accessible paths for learners as they move into and through the system.
• Consider recommendations from the June 2011 Campus Alberta Minister’s Forum on Learner Pathways.
• Ensure the Affordability & Sustainability of the Advanced Education System
• Collaborate, through mechanisms such as Campus Alberta Administration, to achieve efficiencies and increase cost savings.
• Provide learners with grants, bursaries, and scholarships to enhance affordability and access.
• Maintain a Quality Advanced Education System
• Ensure that academic quality review processes and mechanisms include a focus on constant renewal that responds to the emerging needs of learners and employers.
• Continue to develop a culture of innovation and entrepreneurship across all programs.

Visit Advanced Education and Technology's Contact Us page for more information.