More opportunities are on the way for manufacturing students at Red Deer Polytechnic and businesses looking to innovate.
On Friday the province announced $12.9 million to expand RDP's Centre for Innovation in Manufacturing Technology Access Centre (CIM-TAC). Another $3.5 million will be put towards the project from RDP reserves, and the federal government is contributing $4.8 million towards capital equipment.
The applied research and innovation centre provides companies access to state-of-the-art prototyping and manufacturing equipment, along with a multi-disciplinary team with the expertise to turn their ideas into market-ready products.
The capital project will support a variety of sectors including oil and gas, energy innovation, transportation, aviation and agriculture, as well as RDP's future expansion in medical device manufacturing and healthcare innovations.
RDP president Stuart Cullum said the investment will further equip RDP to support trades expansion within the province, and in the weeks ahead RDP will be launching a Central Alberta Trades Strategy to work closely with industry and government to assess what is needed to support the growth of trades talent.
"Altogether our campus contains more than 1.2 million square feet of teaching, learning and applied research space, over 300,000 square feet of trades training space, and we have more than 290 acres of land in which to develop and expand to meet the needs of Alberta's industries," said Cullum during the announcement at CIM-TAC.
"This investment is a signal to our stakeholders, our region, our industry sectors and our students that our polytechnic is well positioned to address the innovation and talent development needs of the region and the province."
Construction will begin in fall 2024 to expand the facility from 15,000 to 25,000 square feet, and increase the centre's capacity to about 450 post-secondary students, and training through workshops and events to an additional 2,000 students by 2030.
More than 500 junior and senior high school students will also take part in dual-credit programs at CIM-TAC.
Advanced Education Minister Rajan Sawhney said RDP is doing outstanding work and the province is very happy to partner in CIM-TAC's expansion.
"Red Deer Polytechnic plays a big role in developing the expertise within their student body. But at the same time, the investment is about supporting industry as well. That's why the province was absolutely thrilled to be able to provide this funding," said Sawhney, in an interview with the Advocate.
Since the CIM-TAC’s inception in 2009, Red Deer Polytechnic has supported more than 300 industry partners, including repeat clients, and currently houses $7.6 million of advanced manufacturing equipment.
In 2022, Red Deer Polytechnic attracted more than $2 million in applied research investment. RDP also completed 64 projects for 57 companies and participated in more than 1,300 engagements with industry partners.
Sawhney said learning opportunities will multiply, and the province is doing what it can to keep post-secondary costs manageable for students.
"I do recognize affordability is a challenge, particularly for students, so we're always looking at other policies, other levers we have at our disposal to see if there's anything we can do to make things a little it easier for the students."
She said Alberta already has a great student aid program, as well as scholarships, awards and bursaries, but a lot of students, families and communities may not know they are available.
