Authors: Roger Gibbins, Larissa Sommerfeld, Jacques Marcil

In 2009, the Government and Alberta designated Bow Valley College as the Comprehensive Community College for Calgary and the surrounding region, which includes approximately 1.3 million Albertans. As the steward of the region, Bow Valley College launched a project to assess the labour market within its service region and interviewed companies and individuals in regards to their attitudes towards education and skills training.

Canada West Foundation partnered with the college to produce the report Reaching Out: Access to Adult Education and Training in the Calgary Regional Communities. As the final product of the Labour Market Partnership Project, this report describes the findings of two surveys administered by the College. Reaching Out identifies current labour market demands and creates an up-to-date account of challenges faced by individuals and employers with respect to accessing adult education and skills training within the College’s service region.