Red Deer needs Red Deer College

Red Deer College

There are many reasons why investing in post-secondary education is important. Here are just four:

1. We want our children to graduate from our K-12 public education and continue learning as adults. Having post-secondary education available can reduce overall poverty rates in the province while increasing quality of life and standards of living. 

2. Economic diversification is dependent on healthy colleges and universities. 

3. During tough economic times, many people choose to enter or re-enter post-secondary education to grow their skills. 

4. Alberta needs more post-secondary access, not less. Red Deer College is growing to meet our students’ needs, and with proper funding and support, Red Deer College could become a degree-granting institution. 

Alberta already has the lowest post-secondary participation rate in Canada, and now we know that the number of Albertans being turned away from college and university has doubled in the past four years. 15, 000 qualified students are being turned away from Alberta’s post-secondary institutions.

“Having access to high quality and affordable post-secondary education is critical to our economy. Sadly, the devastating cuts that the PCs have made to our trade schools, technical institutes, colleges and universities has made accessing the system more difficult than ever and significantly diminished the quality of education students receive,” said Alberta Party Leader Greg Clark.

Governments who cut education to save money are like farmers who sell their topsoil to pay the bills. This is why the Alberta Party is calling on the province to cancel planned cuts to post-secondary and instead invest to meet the growing demand. 

“Red Deer College is a wonderful place that is conveniently accessible to Red Deer North. However, if Jim Prentice and the PCs are allowed to continue their cuts to post-secondary education, Red Deer College will become a place for only rich people’s children,” said Alberta Party Red Deer North candidate Krystal Kromm.

“My 30 years of teaching at Red Deer College has made it clear to me how important Red Deer College is to Red Deer and central Alberta. The Alberta Party would restore post-secondary education funding, improve the student loan system and increase grants and bursaries,” said Alberta Party Red Deer South candidate Serge Gingras.

“A vote for the Alberta Party will be a vote for investing in this province’s colleges and universities.”