The Alberta government has changed course on a plan to allow children as young as 12 to work in bars.

The province had told industry officials Thursday they were going to allow kids to work in areas of bars, such as kitchens, where alcohol was not served.

The Canadian Restaurant and Foodservices Association said the industry was pleased with the planned changes and told journalists they expected an announcement from the government shortly.

But the government reversed that plan after news leaked out Friday.

The Alberta Federation of Labour and the Opposition NDP criticized the plan as a crass cash grab at the expense of children.

A spokesman for Premier Ed Stelmach said he was not in favour of the idea.

The change was to help the food and beverage industry address critical labour shortages that, officials say, have left restaurants and bars in the province in need of 11,000 employees to fill existing vacancies.

The province already allows children as young as 12 to work in restaurants.