Addiction and Disability Community Support Worker

The diploma runs 27 weeks (6 months, 1 week) full-time and includes a 7-week supervised practicum. It is one of the longer practicums we offer, which reflects how much of this work is learned on the ground with real clients.

Community support work covers roles such as addiction and substance-use worker, disability support worker, youth and family worker, shelter and outreach staff, and case manager. An admissions advisor can talk through those settings with you before you enroll.

Tuition is $12,499. Alberta Student Aid grants and loans can help, and an admissions advisor can review payment options with you before you enroll.

You spend 8 weeks full-time in a community agency, shelter, or support setting, working alongside experienced staff. The supervised practicum is part of the 27-week diploma.

Community Support Worker intakes open several times a year. You can see the next start date at the top of this page, and an admissions advisor can confirm the upcoming intakes and which one still has seats for you.

ALIS puts starting pay around $17–$22/hr (about $40,000 a year full-time), typical pay at ~$22–$26/hr (about $48,000), and experienced pay at $30–$37/hr (about $65,000). Wages are Government of Alberta ALIS 2023 Alberta Wage & Salary Survey and Job Bank Canada figures. The hourly rate is the reliable anchor; annual amounts assume full-time work, so part-time or casual roles earn less.

94.29% of ABES graduates from this program are employed. On the wider Alberta picture: Limited for 2025–27 (growth depends on government funding), but hiring is active — 57% of employers recruited recently and 41% report hiring difficulty — and Budget 2025 put $3.03B toward disability, housing and homelessness supports. About 19,250 employed in Alberta.

AHS Addiction & Mental Health (Recovery Alberta); Calgary Alpha House, The Alex, CUPS; Vecova, Accredited Supports to the Community, Independent Counselling Enterprises; group-home operators, shelters and settlement agencies.

With experience alone: Senior support worker → team / shift lead → house supervisor → program coordinator. Adds supervisory, scheduling and documentation duties — no new credential. Ceiling around $33–$37/hr in senior/unionized roles (~$65k–$80k full-time). With further study: Social Worker: 2-yr ACSW-approved diploma or degree + ACSW registration → ~$42.89/hr avg (~$77,767/yr). Addictions Counsellor: 2+ yrs post-secondary + CCAC certification → ~$44.08/hr avg (~$80,342/yr). Further education roughly doubles median earning potential.