Bow Valley College welcomed partners from the Alberta Chartered Professional Accountants Education Foundation (CPAEF) to campus on May 8, 2026, during the Alberta Esports High School Championship to mark a new partnership focused on strengthening the future of business and accounting education through innovative, early engagement with high school students.
This milestone builds on a long-standing relationship between CPAEF and the College, including CPAEF’s role as a funder and strategic partner of the Accounting Case Competition Program, an annual event hosted on campus where student teams engage with CPA professionals to solve real-world accounting and business challenges.
Through an investment of $283,272, this partnership launches the development of an innovative, curriculum-aligned educational video game—designed and developed by Bow Valley College students—to inspire high school students across Alberta to explore careers in accounting and business.
To celebrate the partnership, the CPAEF team was invited to formally announce the initiative at the Alberta Esports Championship tournament—a dynamic two-day event hosted at the College from May 7-8 that brought together high school students from across Calgary. The event provided a vibrant and engaging platform to connect with youth, introduce the project and begin building excitement around its potential impact. The event also invited early beta testers into the development process, reflecting a collaborative and forward-looking approach to building a meaningful educational experience.
Across Canada and Alberta, there is a growing opportunity to engage more young people in the accounting profession and to cultivate stronger, earlier pathways into the field. CPAEF’s investment speaks directly to this moment—supporting innovative approaches that build awareness, spark curiosity and open the door for more students to see themselves in the profession, ultimately strengthening a more sustainable and robust talent pipeline.
“Working alongside Bow Valley College, we are thrilled to introduce innovative learning experiences that spark student interest and make business and accounting concepts feel relevant and meaningful,” says Gord Beal, FCPA, FCA, senior vice president, outreach at CPA Alberta. “By connecting with Grade 10 learners through more interactive and engaging approaches, we can inspire a sense of possibility in a variety of career pathways, build academic confidence and help students envision a wide range of promising careers ahead.”
As part of a broader effort to engage students earlier and strengthen pathways into the profession, CPAEF and the College are developing a dynamic, esports-style simulation game that will be integrated into Alberta’s Grade 10–12 curriculum. Designed to align with core subjects including mathematics, financial literacy and career and life management, the game will immerse students in real-world business challenges—allowing them to step into the role of decision-makers and explore the impact of financial and strategic choices in a live, interactive environment.
The College’s role in bringing this vision to life builds on its strength in applied learning, digital innovation and industry collaboration.
“This partnership is an exciting example of how education, industry and creativity can come together to inspire the next generation,” says Bart Chudleigh, dean of the Chiu School of Business at Bow Valley College. “By having our students design and develop a video game focused on the accounting profession, we are creating an engaging and accessible way for high school students to better understand the real-world skills, competencies and career opportunities that exist within this field. It is also an incredible opportunity for our students to apply their talents to a meaningful project with real impact.”
Students at the College will play an active role in bringing the game to life. Drawing on expertise from the Centre for Entertainment Arts and the Chiu School of Business, they will contribute to game design, coding, storytelling and testing—gaining hands-on experience while working on a project with province-wide impact.
For these students, the project represents more than coursework—it is a chance to collaborate on a real-world initiative that bridges education and industry. During their visit, CPAEF representatives also had the opportunity to meet the student development team and connect more closely with the work their support is making possible.
As the game moves toward pilot testing and broader rollout, high school students across Alberta will have the opportunity to engage with business and accounting concepts in a way that is interactive, accessible and relevant to their lives. By meeting young learners where they are—and through platforms that resonate with them—this initiative has the potential to reshape perceptions of the profession and open doors to new possibilities.
Bow Valley College is deeply grateful to CPAEF for their partnership in making this vision a reality. Together, we are creating new pathways into the accounting profession while supporting the development of a more skilled, future-ready workforce for Alberta.