Alberta is sending its Minister of Education to Germany to kick the tires on that country’s career education programs.
Demetrios Nicolaides, who will be accompanied by a delegation of education partners, will meet with officials and visit schools and industry sites to observe Germany’s approach to career education. It includes stops in Wiesbaden, Hamburg, and Berlin.
The mission aims to inform Alberta’s efforts to expand career education for students and reinforce a long-standing relationship between the governments, the province said in a press release.
“Germany is renowned for its integrated vocational education programs. As we continue to expand our dual credit programs and promote trades education, training, and apprenticeship, we’ll be reviewing how we can adopt German career-education practices in Alberta’s education system to create brighter futures for our students and further support our workforce needs,” said Nicolaides.
The delegation includes representatives from CAREERS: the Next Generation Foundation, and officials from Edmonton Catholic Schools, Edmonton Public Schools, Calgary Board of Education, and Canadian Rockies Public Schools. These school authorities, who participated in a visit from a German education delegation to Alberta in November 2023, will cover their own mission expenses.
Alberta has hosted several delegations from Hesse, including an education delegation in 2022 and a group of German education ministers in 2023. The German State of Hesse and Alberta have maintained a relationship related to student and teacher exchanges for over 30 years, it said.
Itinerary for the Minister
| Date | Location | Activities |
|---|---|---|
| June 8 | Frankfurt | Travel to Frankfurt, Germany |
| June 9 | Wiesbaden | Travel to Wiesbaden |
| June 10 | Wiesbaden | Visit to integrated comprehensive school Visit to vocational school Visit to Opel manufacturing plant |
| June 11 | Wiesbaden | Meeting with government leaders Visit to technical schools Visit to broadcaster ZDF |
| June 12 | Hamburg | Travel to Hamburg Visit to career education centre and meeting with government leaders Visit to hearing technology training campus |
| June 13 | Hamburg | Visit to a school Visit to Dräger medical supplies company |
| June 14 | Berlin | Travel to Berlin Meetings with state officials and tour of parliament |
| June 15 | Alberta | Travel to Alberta |