HPSD Expands Student Pathways Through Micro-Credentials and Collegiate Model

District Principal of Collegiate Planning and Special Projects Brennan McDonald presented an update at HPSD’s Board Meeting on January 20, 2025. Alberta Education approved HPSD’s application to become a Collegiate School in June 2025. Since approval, the Division has expanded post-secondary partnerships and micro-credential opportunities aligned with Career and Technology Studies (CTS) pathways.

HPSD currently partners with Saskatchewan Polytechnic, Olds College, Northwestern Polytechnic, NorQuest College, and Portage College, while actively exploring additional partnerships.

Micro-credentials are short, focused courses that allow students to develop specific, job-ready skills aligned with industry and post-secondary expectations. As students complete micro-credential courses, they earn digital badges that can be added to résumés to demonstrate skills to employers and post-secondary institutions. Many micro-credentials also carry high school credits.

Fields of study currently include e-sports, healthcare, business, and childcare. McDonald also shared that a second collegiate application is being prepared for an agricultural pathway, focused on micro-credentials and using HPSD’s vertical farm as a learning hub.

Since November, 80 HPSD students have participated in micro-credential programming, with an 80 percent completion rate. Feedback from teachers and administrators indicates students are highly engaged, valuing the flexibility of asynchronous learning, immediate feedback, and the ability to earn credentials while exploring career interests.

“This is opening doors for students to test the waters and explore what they enjoy as a career,” said McDonald. “If they discover something isn’t the right fit, they still earn the micro-credential and the credit, and can step back to explore a different pathway.”

Superintendent Murray Marran commended McDonald’s work, noting the strong alignment between micro-credentials and CTS courses, creating clear and defined pathways for students.

For more information about micro-credentials or collegiate programming, contact Brennan McDonald at 780-523-9525 or bmcdonald@hpsd.ca.