Community Connector
ACTI (Anderson Career Training Institute)
ACTI (Anderson Career Training Institute) has run a government-funded Self-Employment Program for Albertans for over 30 years, helping launch more than 1,900 businesses. The 26-week program combines 10 weeks of structured business training with 16 weeks of one-on-one coaching while participants actually launch or grow their business, with no tuition cost for eligible applicants. It runs in Edmonton, Calgary, Lethbridge, and Medicine Hat, in-person and online.
What it actually covers
ACTI (Anderson Career Training Institute) runs a 26-week Self-Employment Program for Albertans who are starting a business, buying an existing one, or within their first six months of running one. The first 10 weeks are structured training: business planning, marketing, accounting, market research, licensing, and taxes. The remaining 16 weeks shift to one-on-one coaching while you actually launch and run the business, not classroom theory after the fact.
The program is fully funded for eligible participants, meaning no tuition cost to attend. ACTI has been running it for over 30 years and says it has helped launch more than 1,900 Alberta businesses.
Where it's offered
ACTI runs the program in Edmonton, Calgary, Lethbridge, and Medicine Hat, with both in-person and online delivery. The next Calgary cohorts start October 12, 2026 and January 4, 2027.
How to check eligibility
Eligibility and funding rules are set by ACTI, not Aurrin Ventures, so the fastest way to find out if you qualify is directly through them: take their short readiness quiz, or sign up for one of their weekly information sessions to ask questions live.