Off-Campus Education

Definitions

Off-Campus Education - includes any course approved by Alberta Education delivered off-campus, in whole or in part which:

• adheres to regulations and guidelines from Alberta Employment Standards, and Alberta Education policy and guidelines;
• shall be supervised by a certificated teacher;
• may be undertaken at one or more work stations and/or work sites, and
• shall specify learner outcomes for each student. 

Off-Campus Courses - senior high courses delivered wholly off-campus, for which a student may earn credit. 

Duty of Care - is a term used to describe the responsibilities that school authorities have in ensuring that students entrusted to them to be educated are placed in safe and caring learning environments. 

Due Diligence - implies that everything reasonably possible is being done by the school authority and the employer to ensure the health and safety of students, teachers and the environment. Essentially, due diligence is achieved through constant monitoring and compliance with local policies and government regulations. Elements of a worksite health and safety program include:

• establishing clearly defined policies, practices and procedures;
• monitoring procedures to ensure that safe policies, practices and procedures are being followed;
• communicating information on issues related to health and safety;
• auditing/inspecting the learning environment;
• training related to health and safety, and
• investigation and reporting of accidents. 

Imminent Danger - means a danger which is not normal for the occupation, or a danger under which a person in that occupation would not normally carry out in his/her work. 

Work Station - means the specific off-campus location at which the student is involved in off-campus learning activities. 

Work Site - means the off-campus location at which the student is involved in off-campus learning activities; may change frequently. 

Job Shadow - means an off-campus visit to a work station/site for one day or less for observation only. 

Take Our Kids To Work Day (TOKW) - is voluntary and not an expectation associated with any provincially approved program of study.

• parents must assume liability for students, given that participation is initiated and organized by the parent. Refer to Administrative Regulation GICA.AR - Field Trips if the school chooses to be the organizing agent. 

Work Study - means off-campus experiential learning integrated with a course undertaken by a junior or senior high school student which is:

• an integral part of the curriculum of a provincially approved school course or program;
• under the cooperative supervision of a teacher-coordinator;
• where no additional credit is given; and which is
• part of a community partnership;
• non-credit with flexibility in the number of hours and the number of times a student may participate. 

Off-Campus Courses - means senior high courses delivered off-campus for which a student may earn credit.

• work study, Career Internship 10, Work Experience15, 25 and 35, Registered Apprenticeship Program, Green Certificate Program, Workplace Readiness 16, Workplace Practicum 26 and 36, and Knowledge and Employability Occupation courses. 

Teacher Supervision - means that the responsible school has assigned a certificated teacher to:

• provide face-to-face support, assistance and emergency contact for each student engaged in off-campus education, and
• ensure procedures outlined in the policies and regulations are completed. 

Career Internship 10 - means off-campus experiential learning undertaken by a senior high school student:

• as approved under policies established by Alberta Learning;
• as an integral part of a planned school program;
• which integrates off-campus experience with in-school instruction;
• which is under the cooperative supervision of a teacher-coordinator; and the employer, and
• which constitutes a separate course based on 25 hours per credit for a minimum of 3 credits and a maximum of 5 credits. 

Work Experience - means off-campus experiential learning undertaken by a senior high school student:

• as an integral part of a planned school program;
• which is under the cooperative supervision of a teacher-coordinator and the employer;
• which constitutes a separate course based on 25 hours per credit, and
• which is offered for a minimum of 3 credits. 

Work Experience in the Canadian Armed Forces - means the reserve program which:

• constitutes a program plan and time-frame agreed to by the school, the student, the parent and the Canadian Forces; and
• is offered for Work Experience 25 and 35.

Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) - means experiential learning undertaken by a senior high school student:

• as an integral part of a planned school program;
• which is under the cooperative supervision of a teacher-coordinator and the employer;
• where the student is a registered apprentice;
• where the program meets the statutes and regulations relating to apprenticeship training; and
• which constitutes a separate course based on 25 hours per credit, and a minimum wage requirement.

Regulation

1. APPROVAL OF WORK STATIONS
   1. The Principal or designate shall approve work stations annually.
      
      
   2. The work station must be accessible with maximum travel time of one hour for the supervising teacher-coordinator.
      
      
   3. The Principal shall confirm that for each work station:
      1. a certificated teacher has visited, inspected the station prior to approval;
      2. a record of the annual "Work Station Inspection Form" is signed by a school administrator and kept on file at the school;
      3. signed copies of the "Work Station Inspection Form" including the names of students participating in the program and their program placement are submitted to the district Occupational Health and Safety (OHS) annually;
      4. the employer is aware of and respects the applicable legislation in the work environment; and
      5. the following criteria relative to placement of students are met:
         1. procedures for protecting worker health and safety are in place
         2. adequate supervision by the employer is assured
         3. a variety of learning opportunities are possible, and
         4. the work environment is age-appropriate.
   4. A specific learning plan shall be developed for each student.
2. JOB SHADOW
   1. Before a student participates in a job shadow, a consent form shall be signed by the parent if the student is under 18 years of age.
      
      
   2. The activity shall adhere to Administrative Regulation GICA.AR - Field Trips.
3. TAKE OUR KIDS TO WORK DAY (TOKW)
   Schools, acting as an organizing agent for TOKW, must ensure that all requirements of the Administrative Regulation GICA.AR - Field Trips are met including assigning responsibility to a teacher-leader to be familiar with and conduct a safety assessment of the proposed site.
   
   
4. OFF-CAMPUS EDUCATION AGREEMENT
   1. Before a student is placed at a work station, the appropriate "Off-Campus Education Agreement" (EPS Work Experience Agreement, EPS RAP Internship Agreement or EPS Registered Apprenticeship Agreement) shall be signed by the employer, the principal, the student, and unless the student is an independent student, the parent.
      
      
   2. Prior to the placement of students off-campus, the teacher is required to inform students that they are deemed to be workers of the Government of Alberta under the Workers' Compensation Act.
      
      
   3. The original signed "Off-Campus Education Agreement" shall be retained in the student record. The employer and the student or parent shall receive a copy of the agreement.
5. HOURS OF WORK
   1. Students who are 12, 13 and 14 years of age (adolescents) may participate in an approved Work Study program in the following general areas:
      • office and clerical work (delivery, filing, duplicating, telephone receptionist, messenger)
      • cashiering and selling
      • price marking, tagging, assembling orders, packing, shelving, rotating stock, receiving goods, arranging displays
      • bagging and delivery of merchandise
      • Librarian’s helper.
   2. For Work Study, in all cases:
      • the parent or guardian must provide the employer with written consent to the employment, and
      • the employment must not have the possibility of being injurious to the life, health, education or welfare of the adolescent.
   3. It is recommended that Work Study for adolescents take place between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
      
      
   4. The working hours for senior high school Work Experience and Registered Apprenticeship students are restricted to 7:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. The exemption from the minimum wage requirement by the Employment Standards Branch, Alberta Labour and Workers' Compensation Board coverage by Alberta Education applies only during these hours.
      
      
   5. For persons, 15, 16 and 17 years old, there are certain occupations where after 9:00 p.m. the young person must be in the continuous presence of at least one other individual 18 years of age or older. The restrictions apply if a young person works in a:
      • place that sells food or drink,
      • retail store,
      • retail business selling gas or other petroleum or natural gas products, or
      • hotel or motel.
6. STUDENT HEALTH AND SAFETY
   1. The Principal shall provide the student and employer with a telephone number for emergency contact when students are working after regular school hours.
      
      
   2. Students will be informed of employer and worker health and safety responsibilities as outlined in the Occupational Health and Safety Act, Occupational Health and Safety Regulation and Occupational Health and Safety Code Order including the right to refuse unsafe work; identification of workplace hazards, and working alone.
      
      
   3. In the case of an accident or injury to a student involved in off-campus education, the Principal shall:
      1. ensure that the Workers' Compensation forms "Employer's Report of Injury or Occupational Disease", and the "Employee's Report of Injury or Occupational Disease", together with a copy of the "Off-Campus Education Agreement," is submitted within 72 hours to the Workers' Compensation Board with a copy to Alberta Education.
      2. Enter the Alberta Education Account Code 345912/6 on the "Employer's Report of Injury or Industrial Disease".
      3. Conduct an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the incident and ensure the necessary corrective action is taken.
      4. Advise the student and parent that they are responsible for initiating claims under the Workers' Compensation Board.
7. WORK EXPERIENCE
   Work hours for work experience can be accumulated for high school credit only after the "Off- Campus Education Agreement" is signed.
   
   
8. REGISTERED APPRENTICESHIP PROGRAM (RAP)
   1. To receive credits under RAP, the student enrolled in a RAP course must be a registered apprentice in one of Alberta's designated trades.
      
      
   2. It is recommended that students participating in RAP, complete CTR1010, CTR1210 and CTR 2210 as prerequisite courses.
      
      
   3. In addition to completing an "Edmonton Public Schools' Registered Apprenticeship Agreement", the RAP student and employer must complete an Apprenticeship Application and Contract for submission to Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training (Advanced Education).
      
      
   4. Work hours can be accumulated for high school credit only after the Apprenticeship Application (Advanced Education) is signed.
      
      
   5. The school must complete a Verification Form for Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training including the coordinator name and contact number, and retain a copy in the student's file.
      
      
   6. The local office of Alberta Apprenticeship and Industry Training (Advanced Education) will approve the student registration in the Registered Apprenticeship Program.
      
      
   7. Where required by related legislation and regulations, the instructor on the work site shall hold a valid Alberta journeyman certificate or equivalent status in the trade or technology.
9. HOME EDUCATION STUDENTS
   A student receiving instruction through home education or virtual school delivery strategies may enroll in the Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) or the Work Experience Program if the student's parent agrees that a certificated teacher employed by  Edmonton Public Schools is responsible for work station/work site inspections and approvals, learning plan development, monitoring and supervision of student's progress, and assessment of student's performance.

References