Improving Private Career Colleges in Alberta

Every year, over 50,000 students attend Private Career Colleges (PCCs) at one of the 200 plus colleges across the province. These colleges provide career-focused training which play an important role in helping adult learners gain the skills they need to meet our province’s workforce needs. However, far too many students are receiving poor quality training that lead to dead ends rather than employment opportunities.

In response, the Alberta Government passed the Private Vocational Training Amendment Act last fall, after Momentum, along with students and community advocates, raised awareness about the issues PCC students face. The passing of legislation to protect students was a huge policy victory! Too many students had received poor quality education, broken promises of career success, and were left with tens of thousands of dollars of debt.

Fast forward one year later: On September 29, 2026, cabinet approved amendments to the Private Vocational Training Regulation! The regulation brings the legislative changes of last fall into force allowing for the Government to more closely monitor PCCs and have stronger requirements in place for the licensing of new PCCs in Alberta. Some other notable changes include:

• A new section providing restrictions on recruitment and third-party recruiters limiting high-pressure sales tactics, misrepresentation of information, and requiring recruiters to disclose financial compensation received by enrolling students
• A structure for refunding tuition fees when a student terminates their contract after the training has started
• Greater information transparency as PCCs must now publish information on their website about the programs, tuition fees, rules and policies regarding complaints handling, and more
• A definition for practicums and a requirement that they must be relevant to the training and industry
• The ability for government to set performance benchmarks around graduation and employment rates

These are just some of the newly updated and implemented regulations that will enforce greater protections for PCC students in Alberta. These changes will come into force January 1, 2027. We extend our utmost gratitude to the students who shared their stories and helped advocate for changes, community advocates who stepped up to help envision a better future for PCC students, and to the Government of Alberta for listening and developing these regulations.