RDP receives more than $1.3 million to add 180 new seats in three programs

Apr 13, 2023

Red Deer Polytechnic is expanding its capacity to offer training opportunities in high-demand, industry-relevant programs starting in Fall 2023.

New seats are being added with funding provided by the Government of Alberta’s Targeted Enrolment Expansion (TEE) Grant, which was announced in the recent provincial budget. Today, the provincial government confirmed RDP will receive more than $1.3 million to add 180 new seats in three programs over the next three years.

With support from this grant, Red Deer Polytechnic will begin offering a new Medical Device Reprocessing Certificate through a curriculum-sharing partnership with Lethbridge College. The program will train students in central Alberta to safely clean and repurpose medical devices in hospital settings and in dental and veterinary clinics. This program will be offered for the first time at RDP in Fall 2023 with an initial intake of 20 seats, growing to 60 seats by 2025/2026.

In addition, over the next three years, the Polytechnic will add 48 more seats to its existing Pharmacy Technician Diploma program and 72 new seats in the Administrative Professional Certificate program.

“We thank the Government of Alberta for supporting Red Deer Polytechnic in delivering more applied learning opportunities for more students and for collaborating with the post-secondary sector to address the needs of Alberta’s evolving workforce,” says Dr. Paulette Hanna, Interim Vice President, Academic. “This additional funding will allow us to offer more seats in more programs in high-demand fields, which means Red Deer Polytechnic can have an even greater economic and social impact in Alberta.”

The TEE Grant funding of more than $1.3 million for expanded seats is in addition to the $4.5 million awarded in Fall 2022, which added more than 700 new seats in eight programs between 2022/2023 and 2024/2025. Previous seat expansions were awarded in: Bachelor of Applied Arts in Film, Theatre and Live Entertainment - Film Production, Bachelor of Applied Arts in Animation and Visual Effects, Machine Learning Analyst Diploma, Computer Programming Diploma, Medical Lab Assistant Certificate, Bachelor of Science in Nursing, Practical Nurse Diploma, and Health Care Aide Certificate.

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