Alberta Education

If you wish to have your name entered into a database of individuals interested in contributing to future curriculum and/or resource maintenance initiatives at a strand level; e.g., developing or revising courses, reviewing new learning resources, or validating new curriculum and resources, please complete and return the CTS Curriculum and Resource Maintenance Registration Form.

In response to feedback received since the CTS program was implemented in 1997, curriculum changes have occurred in 13 of the 22 CTS strands. Click here for a summary of curriculum changes, effective September 1999–2005.

More detailed information regarding curriculum changes in CTS is provided in the current Program of Studies and the 1999–2005 amendment packages for the Guides to Standards and Implementation (GSIs) in the strands identified below. Each amendment package provides replacement pages for the 1997 GSI that communicate course changes that were approved subsequent to provincial implementation.

The learning resources identified for CTS continue to be updated in order to maintain and expand access to current information suitable for use in a variety of learning environments. Up-to-date information on all currently authorized resources can be found online through the Authorized Resources Database or through the LRC.

As resource listings are time sensitive and subject to change, the lists of authorized resources that were included in the 1997 Guides to Standards and Implementation (Section I: Learning Resource Guide) have been removed from the 2002 GSI amendment packages. The 2002 amendments to Section I for all strands provide directions for obtaining, by electronic means, the most up-to-date information on:

authorized resources; i.e., student basic, student support and authorized teaching

provincial software licensing agreements

additional sources of support.

Distance Learning Materials
The Learning Technologies Branch has developed distance learning materials for a number of CTS strands and courses. Click here for a listing of distance learning materials currently available for purchase from the LRC. The listing also gives projected timelines for the development of additional CTS distance learning materials.

Teachers are advised to consult the Learning Technologies Branch home page on a regular basis for current information regarding newly available distance learning materials in CTS, for a list of distance learning materials translated into the French language, and for future development schedules.

Articulation with the Apprenticeship Trades

Articulation agreements have been established between CTS strands and a number of the Alberta's designated trades and occupations. Through these agreements, students who complete required CTS courses and successfully challenge appropriate theory and practical examinations may qualify for:

a portion of the in-school training program for a trade or occupation, and/or

on-the-job time credit within the trade or occupation.

The following chart summarizes articulation agreements with Alberta's designated trades and occupations that are currently in place.

Trades and Occupations	Length of Program	Number of Required CTS 1-credit Courses	Credit for Formal Training	On-the-Job Time Credit
Automotive Service Technician	4 yrs	25 35	1^st Period 1^st and 2^nd Period	Nil 525 hrs
Cabinetmaker	4 yrs	30	Nil	408 hrs
Carpenter	4 yrs	25	1^st Period	Nil
Cook	3 yrs	17 30	1^st Period 1^st and 2^nd Period	Nil 450 hrs
Electrician	4 yrs	25	1^st Period	Nil
Electronic Technician	4 yrs	25	1^st Period	Nil
Hairstylist	2 yrs	35 55	1^st Period 1^st and 2^nd Period	525 hrs 700 hrs
Outdoor Power Equipment Technician (any branch)	4 yrs	20	1^st Period	Nil
Warehousing – Basic – Intermediate – Technician	12 mo 12 mo 12 mo	4 3 5	Partial	Nil
Welder	3 yrs	25	1^st Period	Nil

Further details regarding each articulation agreement—including correlations to CTS strands and courses—are provided in the CTS Manual for Administrators, Counsellors and Teachers.

For more information, contact the Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training Division or access their Web site.

CTS Credit Completion Statistics
Alberta Education provides statistics on credit completions in CTS that are updated several times each school year. The most recent statistics for each CTS strand are available in the Summary of CTS Credit Completions. The summary also provides statistics regarding CTS credit completions by course level.

During the 2004-2005 school year, students awarded an Alberta High School Diploma earned an average of 116 credits in total with 18 credits in CTS courses.

Contacts: Send comments to our curriculum contact.

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