Advanced Skills Centre

Building Alberta, Together

For decades, NAIT has trained the people who build Alberta.

Every project that keeps this province running—from homes and hospitals to highways and power plants—depends on skilled trades and technology professionals.

And as our province grows, so does the need for skilled workers.

The skilled labour shortage is a crisis and arguably the greatest threat facing Alberta’s economy. According to the Canadian Apprenticeship Forum, the province will need 26,000 new journeypersons and 51,000 new apprentices in the top 15 Red Seal trades by next year.
The provincial government’s ambitious $26-billion capital plan and the federal government’s nation-building projects—including an LNG expansion project in Kitimat—will put additional pressure on Alberta and Canada’s already-strained skilled labour pool in the coming years.
A recent report from Deloitte projects that the federal projects alone will require half a million skilled trade workers by 2030, and as many as 800,000 by 2034.

Alberta needs more people trained and ready to work — not only to keep pace with growth, but to ensure Albertans continue to share in the prosperity that growth creates.

NAIT Will Get the Job Done

The ability to train more technologists and tradespeople right here in Alberta has never been more critical. NAIT is the only polytechnic in the province with a plan to address the serious and growing skilled labour shortage.

The ASC will be one of the most advanced trades education environments in Canada, bringing together 29 trades and technology programs under one roof.
The ASC will add capacity for 5,500 additional learners every year, allowing NAIT to train more than 15,000 students annually across the industries that power Alberta’s economy.

The ASC will be where the next generation of skilled workers is trained.

Built for how Alberta works

The ASC will connect disciplines that reflect how real workplaces operate — electricians alongside carpenters, welders alongside millwrights, technicians alongside engineers.

Inside, learners will gain experience in labs and shops that evolve with technology and demand. High-fidelity simulators, automation systems, and AI-enabled tools will let students practice and perfect their skills before stepping onto the job site.

Project Status

The ASC is entering its final year of planning and design. Each stage has brought the project closer to construction readiness.

Key milestones achieved:

Geotechnical studies completed — providing critical data for foundation and structural design.
Concept design finalized — establishing the overall layout and purpose of the facility.
Functional designs for labs and workshops completed — ensuring spaces align with instructional needs.
Traffic and parking assessments completed — improving site access and pedestrian flow.
Schematic design phase initiated — advancing the project from concept to detailed architectural planning.
Labour market study completed — confirming that the ASC’s program mix reflects Alberta’s current and emerging industry needs.

Location	Main Campus - Edmonton, Alberta
Stage	Planning & Design
Budget	Planning and design - $43M over 3 years *Awarded in Provincial Budget 2024
Delivery Methodology	Construction Management At-Risk–Public Procurement *The Construction Management Services Request for Proposal can be found on the Alberta Purchasing Connection website.
ARCHITECT	Dialogue + GEC

Project updates

March 27, 2025

Today, NAIT was pleased to host Hon.Rajan Sawhney, Hon. Matt Jones, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade, Hon. Searle Turton, MLA Andrew Boitchenko, and MLA Brandon Lunty for the Advanced Skills Centre Budget 2025 funding announcement alongside close to 100 industry partners, NAIT staff and students.

February 27, 2025

The Advanced Skills Centre is an investment in Alberta’s future and NAIT is incredibly appreciative to the Government of Alberta for Budget 2025’s continued investment in our planning and design.

Inside the Advanced Skills Centre

The ASC isn’t just a building — it’s the future of skilled trades education in Alberta.

Spanning approximately 625,000 square feet on NAIT’s Main Campus, the ASC will bring together learning spaces built for connection, adaptability, and innovation.

It will increase NAIT’s capacity to train 5,500 more learners each year — helping Alberta meet growing labour demands.

The facility’s modular, flexible design supports upskilling, reskilling, and collaboration across disciplines — where students learn side by side across trades and technologies, just as they do on real job sites.

It will also provide year-round opportunities for youth, women, newcomers, and Indigenous learners to explore the trades — expanding who sees themselves in these high-demand, high-paying careers.

More than a building, the ASC is an investment in Alberta’s people, industries, and communities — ensuring our province has the skilled workforce it needs to keep building for decades to come.

Governance

The ASC is a once-in-a-generation project for NAIT and for Alberta.

NAIT has taken a practical and accountable approach to ensure every stage of planning and delivery stays on time, on budget, and on vision.

A dedicated governance structure provides clear oversight, decision-making authority, and accountability throughout the project. This includes a special committee of NAIT’s Board of Governors, established to define and distinguish the roles of the Board, NAIT’s executive leadership, and the teams and contractors responsible for design and delivery.

Together, the committee brings deep expertise in construction project management, financial planning, risk management, and governance.

Built in Partnership with Government and Industry

For nearly 65 years, NAIT has trained the people who have built and diversified Alberta’s economy — work made possible through partnerships with industry, government, and community.

That same commitment guides the planning and design of the Advanced Skills Centre. A project of this scale succeeds only when partners are engaged early — to share insight, provide feedback, and help shape a facility that reflects Alberta’s needs.

As planning continues, NAIT will build on existing relationships across the four key sectors — construction, transportation, energy, and manufacturing — and extend collaboration to new partners and communities.

We look forward to sharing updates, milestones, and opportunities to get involved as the project moves forward.

Project inquiries: AdvancedSkillsCentre@nait.ca

Media inquiries: media@nait.ca

Skills Trade Council

The Skills Trade Council is a group of industry leaders convened to provide critical industry voices as NAIT advances the planning and design of the Advanced Skills Centre (ASC).

The Skills Trade Council includes:

Naseem Bashir, P.Eng.(Co-Chair), Executive Chair, Originus Ltd.
Doreen Cole (Co-Chair), Alberta Energy Executive
Carla Madra, CEO, Women Building Futures
Jason Portas, Vice President, PCL Construction

These accomplished business leaders and trades champions will draw on their individual and collective experience and insight to champion the ASC’s role in addressing Alberta’s labour market crisis.

Meet the Members

Naseem Bashir, Co-Chair

Naseem Bashir, P.Eng., is Executive Chair of Originus Ltd., the parent company of Williams Engineering Canada Ltd., and Umbra Engineering Ltd. He focuses on building, acquiring, and operating companies that contribute to sustainable, safe, inclusive, and resilient communities. He believes organizations should be built around a core social purpose and enabled by a social, behavioural, and technological innovation stack that balances financial and social impact. A strong proponent of digital transformation, he views technological disruption as central to strategy and continuous improvement.

Naseem currently serves as a Director of Aquatera Utilities Inc., Claystone Waste Ltd., and Prairie Sky Gondola Company. He was the founding Board Chair of Edmonton Unlimited, former Chair of the Edmonton International Airport Board, and a past Director of Cougar Drilling Solutions. He holds a degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Alberta and an honorary BTech from NAIT.

Doreen Cole, Co-Chair

Bringing over three decades of extensive experience in the North American energy industry, Doreen Cole has held senior and executive leadership roles across the downstream, upstream, mining, power and utilities sectors. Most recently, she served as Executive Vice-President Downstream for Cenovus Energy, where she played a pivotal role in major operational and strategic initiatives, including the integration of Husky Energy upgrading and refining assets into Cenovus post-merger.

Prior to her tenor at Cenovus, Doreen was seconded from Suncor Energy as top executive officer of Syncrude Canada Ltd., following her time as Senior Vice-President, Maintenance and Reliability for Suncor’s oil sands assets. Her contributions at Suncor and Syncrude were marked by sustainable improvements in oil sands operations. Doreen’s early career experiences were shaped at Shell Canada and EPCOR, where she held several positions influencing operational excellence, business strategy, safety and environmental stewardship.

Doreen holds a Bachelor of Chemical Engineering Degree from the University of Toronto and has an ICD.D designation from the Rotman School of Management. She currently sits on the Board of Governors for NAIT, the Board of RLG International, and the Board of ThoughtsWin Systems (a global Data and AI company).

Doreen’s strategic vision, industry knowledge, and commitment to the trades will support NAIT through its next phase of growth and innovation.

Carla Madra, Co-Chair

Carla Madra is President and CEO of Women Building Futures (WBF), starting July 7, 2025. A Chartered Professional Accountant and seasoned executive, she brings more than 20 years of experience, most recently as a Partner with Ernst & Young in Edmonton.

Throughout her career, Carla has championed women’s advancement and economic security, leading initiatives that promote women in leadership and foster inclusive workplace cultures. She is deeply committed to WBF’s mission of helping women achieve economic security in industries where they are underrepresented. Known as an empathetic leader, Carla is recognized for creating inclusive environments and inspiring positive energy in the teams she leads

Jason Portas

Jason Portas is Vice President and District Manager for PCL Construction’s Edmonton Buildings and Civil district, leading strategy, performance, and multidisciplinary project teams across the capital region and Northern Alberta. Since joining PCL in 1995, he has contributed to delivering some of the most complex and community-defining buildings and civil infrastructure, including bridges, hospitals, research and educational facilities, recreation centres, and major civic developments.

A committed leader, Jason focuses on empowering his team, strengthening client partnerships, and advancing safety and operational excellence. He is equally dedicated to Alberta’s skilled trades pipeline, bringing an industry-driven perspective and championing partnerships that expand training capacity and support the next generation of builders.

Alberta’s prosperity depends on skilled people — the builders, makers, and problem-solvers who keep our province running.

But today, Alberta faces a growing shortage of trades and technology workers. Meeting that challenge means expanding training capacity and creating more opportunities for Albertans to build rewarding, high-paying careers in the skilled trades.

That’s why the Government of Alberta has invested in NAIT’s Advanced Skills Centre (ASC) — a project that will help ensure our province has the people and the skills it needs to keep building.

The ASC is being planned and designed to deliver one of the most advanced apprenticeship and technology-based learning environments in Canada.

By investing in skilled trades and apprenticeship education, Alberta is responding to the needs of industry and targeting our investments in ways that support the economy. Projects like the Advanced Skills Centre exemplify our commitment to helping ensure students are able to make the most of opportunities in high-demand fields and get the skills they need to be successful in Alberta’s workforce.

Honourable Rajan Sawhney, Minister of Advanced Education

Alberta’s economy is built by skilled tradespeople, and this investment ensures more Albertans can access the training they need to secure stable, high-paying jobs. The Advanced Skills Centre will help meet workforce demands in key industries, keeping our province competitive and prosperous for many years to come.

Honourable Matt Jones, Minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade

Growth in Edmonton's construction industry, and our regional economy, depend on ECA members' ability to hire and retain skilled trades workers. The ECA welcomes the Government of Alberta's investment in the Advanced Skilled Centre, and pledges continued support to grow NAIT's ability to attract, train and educate tomorrow's construction workforce.

Matt Schellenberger, Director of Corporate Development, Edmonton Construction Association

Suppliers' Information

NAIT’s core values are a central component of our culture. They are a guiding light for both staff and students, defining how we interact with each other and what we expect from each other.

Our commitment to fostering strong partnerships with our suppliers is essential to our mission of providing quality education and services to our students and community. We believe that collaboration and integrity are key to achieving mutual success.

We expect those who are engaged with NAIT on critical projects like the Advanced Skills Centre will reflect our core values in their day-to-day dealings with our staff, contractors and vendors.

Creativity
Collaboration
Accountability
Celebration
Respect

NAIT's Vision, Promises and Values

Doing business with NAIT

NAIT’s procurement process is designed to be fair, open, transparent, and non-discriminatory. We promote equal opportunities by complying with all relevant trade agreements and legislation established for our municipalities, academic institutions, the schools and hospitals (MASH) sector. Public procurement tenders are conducted for purchases above these thresholds under the New West Partnership Trade Agreement (NWPTA):

$75,000 for goods
$75,000 for services
$200,000 for construction

Competitive public procurement

Our procurement mission is to secure the best overall value for NAIT by ensuring optimal quality, timing, value and service while minimizing risk, and adhering to ethical conduct standards to maintain public confidence in NAIT.

To achieve this, NAIT’s procurements must be conducted with integrity, trust and impartiality. There must be no conflict, or the appearance of conflict between the private interests of board members and employees and their duty to the public. To ensure compliance with public sector procurement standards and trade agreements, all purchases above $75,000 for goods and services and $200,000 for construction are publicly tendered through a competitive bid process.

Recognizing the importance of Indigenous perspectives

NAIT has worked with Naheyawin, an Edmonton-based Indigenous-owned social enterprise organization to support our engagement with Indigenous communities. Ongoing and meaningful engagement opportunities will be built into the design and planning of the Advanced Skills Centre from now until completion.

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Advanced Skills Centre

Alberta is facing a skilled trades shortage. NAIT’s Advanced Skills Centre is the answer.

Building Alberta, Together