Education Minister Adriana LaGrange, Minister of Finance and Treasury Board President Travis Toews, and MLA for Olds-Didsbury-Three Hills Nathan Cooper, were in Acme Tuesday morning, March 1 to announce a $13.7 million modernization of Acme School.
The funding over the next three years is to support existing community partnerships to prepare students with employable skills for local industry, with the potential for career opportunities. As a community hub model, the updated school will offer training for students in job-specific skills including agriculture, manufacturing as well as trade training and apprenticeships.
“The much-needed modernization of Acme School and the development of the Acme School and Innovation Centre will help students gain the knowledge and skills needed to form a strong foundation for successful and fulfilling lives, create job opportunities, and benefit the region for years to come,” said Minster LaGrange.
David Price, co-founder and company director of Sunterra Group of companies, was on hand for the announcement. Recently the company has developed a major greenhouse near Acme. He is appreciative of the government’s support for its Education Partnership Program.
“Our community partners include smaller family businesses, multigenerational, that provide services and support to larger, leading-edge manufacturing businesses, agricultural producers and food processors, and those who work and provide services in the health sector,” said Price. “We all know that, to be successful as rural competitive businesses, we need well-educated people that understand and are committed to the schools. We see the education partnership contributing to continuously create the best environment for students to get a closer look at career opportunities and to understand their character and potential.”
He said in surveying its partners, there are 50 unfilled positions available locally, with the potential of 200 more permanent positions directly involved in the growth plan for the next four years.
MLA Cooper praised the work Golden Hills School Division (GHSD) has done to foster these community relationships.
“GHSD has actually been leading the province on innovative engagement in skills and development training. In many ways, the government is catching up to their leadership. Golden Hills has over 100 industry partners already involved and that will likely be able to increase because of the recognition of the great work they have done.”
Cooper is also grateful to the staff and faculty of the school for their work towards the new school. The community itself has also raised $1.3 million to enhance and support the project.
Village of Acme Mayor Bruce McLeod sees potential for community sustainability. He has already noticed a small increase in the village’s population with new industry.
“We are getting new families in Acme because of the employment there, and we are looking at developing in the future to add more housing, in partnership with the community business partners,” he said.
“As the older generation, this is our obligation to give the students an opportunity to have a future, and that’s what we are doing here.”
GHSD chair Laurie Huntley also expressed gratitude for the support for the new school.
“We believe this model could be used across rural Alberta in the support of student training and local industry.”