EdinburghNLP/nunavut-hansard-plusplus huggingface dataset:
We have introduced a couple of different programs to help them. One is the Aboriginal Instructional Certificate Program, as well as in the new Education Act, we have talked about taking the lifelong learning of an individual and being able to weigh that on an academic and a salary scale as the same, for example, as a masters, as I have been saying in the House here, there’s a Masters in Lifelong Learning. Those two opportunities there alone will be able to increase not only the dollar values that elders can be paid because, in many cases, it’s very difficult for unilingual people to get employment opportunities and this will help.
I think the minister would like to answer the question I had asked the Minister of Economic Development and Transportation yesterday regarding the development of a mine training facility in Nunavut. Is this an actual facility or is it the one that you were talking about when you answered the previous member’s questions?
Hon. Ed. Picco: No, Mr. Chairman.
There was some misunderstanding around when we say “facility.” When we’re talking about a facility through training at the Nunavut Arctic College, we’re talking about having a major training facility in Rankin Inlet, the trade school, and then being able to run auxiliary programs from the two regional centres in Iqaluit and Cambridge Bay.
An example is in Cambridge Bay; we’re still scheduling to have the Millwright Program, which is dedicated toward the mining industry in Cambridge Bay. So that was what that meant.
On page G-23 of your business plan, one of your priorities for the coming years is to “Work with Nunavut Arctic College and other training agencies on identifying, developing and implementing employment/career training objectives for each region. Special emphasis will be placed on mining.”
What other training agencies are you referring to there?
What we’re trying to do is create as much opportunities as we can for training in Nunavut and where we can deliver specific training in Nunavut, we’re doing that through the Nunavut Arctic College and our community learning centres.
We also have other partners that are available to us to use.
A good example of that is the heavy equipment school that we have been using and accessing in Morrisburg, where we’ve had several dozen people now who graduated with national recognition and they’re working in the field, several from the member’s community, so we’re quite pleased with that. So that’s the type of partnership we’re talking about.
In the Nunavut Arctic College’s 2006-07 Annual Report, under Campus Highlights for the Kivalliq Campus on page 4, one of its highlights is, “The Campus continues to work at funding and supporting preparatory training in the mining industry as a priority for Kivalliq residents,” and it says, “We have worked with the Kivalliq Inuit Association to provide training under their historic IIBA agreement with the Meadowbanks project north of Baker Lake.”
Can the minister give us an idea of what kind of training has being provided through that partnership?
I’ll give just some examples of Phase I of this academic year and some of the training that’s going on in the region, and maybe I could be specific with the member’s community.
In Baker Lake, we’re looking at a 24-week academic preparation - levels seven through nine for English, Math and Science, and that also includes Job Safety, Basic First Aid, CPR, WHMIS training, which is needed now as a prerequisite in our workplaces, and TDG. We’re also providing some of the basic administrative skills, as well as computer, office, and life skills occurring in the workplace.
We’re also looking at pre-trades training that we just finished delivering in December in Baker Lake, which also included concentration of English, Math and Science academic preparedness, as well as Basic Shop, Practical Experience, and Computer Programming, as well as preparing for trade entrance exams.
In the regions, I’ll just pick Repulse Bay. In Repulse Bay, we’re doing a pre-trades program in there that started in January, and again, that’s a 12-week program training people to be able to write some of the trade entrance exams that we have talked about, and the concentrations there are on English, Math and Science.
In Chesterfield Inlet, we’re running the 12-week training program as well. We’re also doing the Introductory to Mining Program in Chesterfield Inlet, and that would introduce students to the mining industry and related trades.
In Rankin Inlet, we’re also doing 24 weeks of academic preparation again. We’re looking at providing the basic computer, office, and life skills at the workplace, the WHMIS program, CPR, and Basic First Aid, and that’s in Rankin Inlet.
So those are the types of programs that have been going on, preparing a lot of our people in the communities, not just for the mining industry but there’s a spillover effect to the administrative side or business side of operating businesses, as well as some of Life Skill Program areas and WHMIS, and so on, that people would need to be able to make a transition to that worksite, or a career, or a job.
I thank the minister for all that information.
Is the minister’s department in direct contact with Agnico-Eagle Mines Limited, who is in the process of opening up a mine just north of Baker Lake, on what specific training needs they seek to prepare people to work in the Meadowbank Gold Mine?
Chairman: Thank you, Mr. Simailak. Minister Picco.
We have a position based in Rankin Inlet and that position is in charge of mines training and trades that the member is familiar with.
The Agnico-Eagle Mine, as well as the HR staff and the Kivalliq Campus Director have also had an opportunity to speak with high school students in Chesterfield Inlet, Baker Lake, Arviat, Rankin Inlet, and Whale Cove about opportunities that may be presenting themselves in the region for mining, and then we’re trying to develop our focus in training, as we just outlined, toward those potential jobs that are occurring in the region and in the community.
I want to thank the minister, as well as the Arctic College President, I believe, and your deputy minister. I have some questions. First of all, I want to ask a question related to the new president’s job on whether or not he finds the job challenging, or what particular challenges has he found so far with respect to continuing the priorities of the Arctic College.
Mr. Vandermeulen.
Mr. Vandermeulen: Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.
I have just completed six months on the job and I find the job very interesting and very rewarding. The top two items that are on the top of my job jar is to improve programs and services to the communities and to build a culturally responsive college.
Chairman (interpretation): Thank you, Mr. Vandermeulen.
That was nice and sweet, Mr. Vandermeulen.
The second part of my question is: you appear to have passed your probationary period, or are you still pretty cautious with presenting to the committee what major challenges you face for the future, or are they more or less practical and routine things? Is that what you find so far?
Mr. Vandermeulen was hired as the President of the Nunavut Arctic College after Mr. Mac Clendenning took leave of his tenure and Mr. Clendenning had left some big shoes for Mr. Vandermeulen to fill.
Daniel brings a wealth of experience forward, so I will let Mr. Vandermeulen maybe give you an overview of some of the experience that he has and some of the issues that he has been dealing with and some of the challenges that he sees, but also some of the real pro things that he thinks are occurring here in Nunavut.
It would be good to hear directly from the horse’s mouth. I might use that but that may not be parliamentary according to the staff. It doesn’t hurt at all to hear from the president because he has faced a number of challenges in Alberta, I understand.
The second part of my question relates to the president. Exactly who does the President of the Arctic College report to?
Has it changed from Mr. Clendenning or is it pretty much similar? Are you reporting to the President of the Arctic College or to the minister?
I think Mr. Curley addressed the question to the president and I think Mr. Curley has a good point that, indeed, it’s good to hear from some of the senior staff and that’s why we’re at the witness table. So Mr. Vandermeulen would like to answer that question.
All questions must go through the Chair.
Mr. Vandermeulen: Thank you, Mr. Chairman.
In relation to the comment on whether I was still on probation, I consider myself always to be on probation.
I’m very impressed by the college that I have been given responsibility for.
It’s a very dynamic college; it’s got a very interesting basket of programs. I’m very impressed by the strength of the culture and I know we have a lot more to do in that area, but I think we’ve got a very good foundation.
We have developed good relationships with the other deputy ministers and with the minister, so I’m very pleased to have taken on this challenge.
I appreciate that very much. Part of my question has to do with the fact that we have, not just in terms of the lengths of the Assembly or the Government of Nunavut but because the way in which our Civil Service has gone through a pretty quick transition, a very young, in my opinion, capacity of individuals that are in very senior positions.
So I say that the role of the Arctic College should be directing at least, not just meeting the technical challenges for jobs and employment but to prepare for the long-term stability of the public service.
In that regard, I want to ask a question to the minister whether or not he has considered, with his president, establishing an accounting program or finance related positions, whether or not they have been looked at as a more or less important position in the government.
Has there been any consideration whatsoever to speed up some of the accounting courses so that young individuals across Nunavut can be placed in government positions?
I think it’s a twofold answer and I agree with the member.
Through interdepartmentally, when there are needs of given departments, Nunavut Arctic College, in many cases, is called in as the trainer of choice to deliver different programs, whether that’s at the end of the financial management services, and so on.
We know from the Auditor General’s report that one of the issues raised there is, as the member has suggested, that there was a lot of capacity issues in that department.
We have put together financial modules so we can deliver those programs. At the same time, we actually have a diploma program ready to go.
Hopefully, we would be introducing that as a new full program maybe in the next year or year and a half. Also, through our Management Studies Program, we offered several programs through administration and financial issues and that would deal with an opportunity to be able to complete different programs.
At the same time, I just attended, for example, Mr. Chairman, on the weekend, the graduation of several people with their diploma in bookkeeping to become certified bookkeepers.
They ranged from small communities, like you, Mr. Chairman, from Grise Fiord, and they can, with a couple of more courses from Algonquin, they got their diploma from Algonquin, they will actually be able to put the professional designation of CB, Certified Bookkeeper, at the end of their names. They’re all Inuit from Nunavut.
So that’s just an idea of some of the programs that are occurring.
I certainly appreciate those comments.
My next question is; I know you alluded to some of the courses that were available at the Arctic College and they went by so fast for me that… are there any particular, for instance, technology courses being available?
We know that throughout the public service, even schools, are very short of technicians, they call them Information Technology Specialists, and so on. I understand that nowadays, we really should be providing courses to individuals to qualify as computer technicians and that kind of stuff.
I wonder if the minister, or his officials, can explain whether or not these have been considered.
The college has been trying to get away from some of the generic programs that we used to run in the past and we’re quite excited that this year, we actually offered an Information Technology Program, or an IT program. That diploma program is preparing our students to enter the information technology age, as it were.
Every office, every community in Nunavut now needs to have someone who is qualified to run a wireless modem system and be able to work on computers; I mean that’s just the way it is today.
So that program is running and we’re also upgrading and updating the Environmental Technology Program.
So that’s two technology programs that we’re offering in the college.
How about the schools? I know that there are quite a lot of computers these days in schools, which are pretty much mandatory in my view, or are very much needed by students. All the schools practically pretty well don’t have any information technology specialists.
Are their needs being addressed at all?
Hon. Ed. Picco: I think it’s exciting, Mr. Chairman, when you have an opportunity to travel around all of our communities in Nunavut like I have and visit our schools. When you go into grade 10, 11, and 12, and even the younger grades, eight and nine, and you have kids in Repulse Bay, they’re on MSN Messenger and they’re talking to people across the territory.
One of the prerequisites now at the high school level is keyboarding and computer technology and they have to pass that; I shouldn’t say they have to pass; it’s one of the prerequisite courses that they have to take to get a credit course in at the high school level. So those programs are continuing at the high school level, so we’re able to introduce the new information technology, as it were, at the levels.
We have also just recently put in place, at our regional service offices, or at our RSOs or KSOs, IT people who actually can go around and support the schools with computer issues and so on at the school level. So those support mechanisms are in place. That’s something that we didn’t need ten years ago, as an example, but the way technology is moving, as the member has indicated, we have to try to keep up with it.
Mr. Curley: I appreciate that, Mr. Chairman.
I think the schools are pretty much underfunded nor provided specialists directly. They are not part of the regular government, or they’re not provided with IT specialists directly devoted to the schools.
So I would continue to urge the minister to work towards finding a better way of meeting the services required by the schools in terms of information technologies’ availability in particular and I agree with what the minister says because that demand is growing so fast that we can’t keep up with it.
I have another question with respect to Rankin Inlet. Has the trades programming been developed along, or is it going to be a day-by-day kind of thing once the trades school is completed?
I thank the member for his suggestions and we are trying to build up that capacity throughout government with information technology, so his concerns are well welcomed.
On the training issue specifically in Rankin Inlet for the new trade school, it’s quite exciting information that we are able to say that for 2008-09 in the upcoming fiscal year, we’re starting to develop the curriculum and purchasing learning aids, small tools, and other supplies for the trades access, the housing maintainer, the oil burner mechanic, the plumbing, electrical, the millwright, mine worker, welder, and safety modules.
Following up on that, during the second term, we will be devoted to piloting the selective trades curriculum, so taking those modules and actually introducing them to the classroom. The initial development and filing of that curriculum will take place in the old trades training facility presently in Rankin Inlet, and then that won’t be dependent on the completion of the new facility.
So we will be able to kind of fast-track the program by using that facility and then when we get the new facility completed, then they will be able to go into that. That shouldn’t slow down the process, so I think that’s good news.
By 2009-10, Mr. Chairman, then we will see the full delivery of the apprenticeship training beyond pre-employment work. That training course is dependent on the new facility and it won’t commence until the new facility is ready to go, so both are coinciding. That work is ongoing right now.
Mr. Curley: Thank you. Mr. Chairman.
I appreciate that very much. It would also help if it’s possible to get a list of all these ongoing work that are going, either through correspondence, or is this information available on your website, if any?
Maybe the minister or his officials can explain to us whether or not the types of programs that are available are also available on what site, and if not, could that be done?
We’re updating the education website on a regular basis and many of the programs and offerings of the Department of Education are available there.
I’ll have to specifically check with the president to see if these particular programs are actually up on the website to confirm that after COW.
I just have a couple of questions that I would like to follow-up on with the minister and his officials.
I believe the minister said earlier that students going to the cultural school would be eligible for FANS and some students going to the trade school would be eligible for FANS.
As I suggested in my answer, we don’t have the programs running at those facilities yet, so I guess that would be hypothetical.
What I’m saying is that according to the FANS guidelines and so on, if a program, let’s say a Heavy Equipment Operator, and that’s a certificate program for nine months, then that would be FANS eligible. So the criterion under FANS, if it’s a certificate or a diploma program outlines if the program, itself, would be FANS eligible.
I’ll just check the Hansard tomorrow but I’m pretty sure that the minister did indicate that students of both facilities would be eligible for FANS in his response.
If you look at the trades programs, and I remember, going way back when I was a young lad like Mr. Picco, that the trades programs were short-term.
For someone that’s going for an electrician, plumber, or different trades, they’re short. Most of the time, their training for apprenticeship is usually just a six or eight-week stint in school and the rest of it is done on-the-job working with someone.
I believe he indicated that those students would not be eligible for FANS, so I’m just wondering if he can clarify that.
I thank the member for giving me an opportunity to clarify.
On the cultural school programs and the trade school programs, if a program is more than 12 weeks in duration and it’s at a recognized academically accredited school, like the Nunavut Arctic College, then that student would be eligible for FANS.
In the cases of apprenticeships, they’re a little bit different and the member is correct, doing the apprenticeship program, you might go into the college for six weeks and then have to go back and get 40 hours of work on-the-job. So in those types of cases, we have the Labour Market Development Agreement in place to help sponsor those students.
At the same time, to be an apprentice, you have to be signed onto a company.
A good example is the Power Corporation. The Power Corporation is the largest single company in Nunavut that actually has apprentices on-board. So the apprentices would work with the Power Corporation and they would help, of course, pay for that employee to continue on to be upgraded and so on.
If the individual was a carpenter and they’re not employed by a large company, they would be able to help them through the Labour Market Development Agreement.
Before I go back to something else that the minister just indicated on the Labour Market Development Agreement, he indicated that the students at the cultural school would be eligible.
Mr. Chairman, I took a look at the status report the Minister of CLEY tabled on the cultural school earlier this sitting and I’ll just quote from it.
It says, “Based on the programming objectives of Piqqusilirivvik, students will not be eligible for the various forms of Student Financial Assistance currently provided by the Government of Nunavut.”
I’m just wondering, if we’re getting this message from the Department of CLEY, why we seem to be getting a different message from the Department of Education.
I don’t see the discrepancy.
I think we haven’t gotten to the point yet where we have actually looked at the program offerings at the cultural school and how that will work.
When we discussed the cultural school in Arviat, when that idea came forward, and as the program continues to be run by the Department of CLEY, they’re looking at different aspects of running a cultural school. Would it be fully academic? Would it include life skills and programming?
How much of a language requirement would be needed? And indeed, how much of that would be cultural, and then how do you recognize and certify that?
There are other avenues, as the member knows, that provide funding for students. Kakivak is a good example that provides post-secondary funding for students if they’re taking a program.
Those cultural students could be eligible for that type of program.
So again, you can’t say that the student will be or not eligible; it depends on what the program offerings will be.
If a program is more than 12 weeks long, is a certificate or a diploma program, and is at a recognized education institution, then that program would be FANS eligible, as an example.
So it depends on what programs would be ran at a given time.
Then I guess the appropriate answer to whether or not students would be eligible for FANS isn’t. “Yes, they would be. But what would be?
I don’t know right now, it depends on what’s developed.” I would just like to ask the minister if he could confirm that for the record.
Again, the member is partly correct.
We know, for example, the question was on the trade school programs and the cultural school programs.
We know in the trade school programs, we have modules in place - the Oil Burner Mechanic, the Millwright Program.
All of these programs are longer than 12 weeks in duration, so they would be FANS eligible.
On the cultural school, we haven’t seen what the program offerings from the school are.
So I’m saying if the program offerings from the school are more than 12 weeks and are of a certificate or a diploma nature, then they would be FANS eligible, or Kakivak eligible, or indeed, they could be funded through the LMDA; it depends on what those program offerings are.
That hasn’t happened yet because CLEY is still working on what the program would be at the school. So it’s a bit premature to say they are or they are not. That’s what I was trying to explain.
I would like to thank the minister for finally clearly putting that on the record.
Mr. Chairman, I know one of the things that were discussed in the past and in speaking of FANS, I know when the standing committee went around and did consultations on Nunavut Arctic College, there were a lot of concerns raised by students in the Adult Basic Education Program.
I know the minister, at some point in the recent past, had indicated that they’re doing a review of that as a result of the audit of the Auditor General on the program.
Can the minister give an indication if they’re looking at including students taking Adult Basic Education to be eligible for FANS?
We have some really exciting things to announce with the FANS program in the next couple of weeks.
In the new fiscal year, I think the parents, and indeed, Members of the House, will be quite pleased for our students in the FANS program.
We are looking at the different programs that are run under FANS and the eligibility requirements.
That work is continuing and we haven’t made any decisions yet. Any decisions that we make that have cost implications, of course, aren’t included in the budget that’s been presented because those changes haven’t been put in place.
So that would have to come in the spring session, or so on, through the usual mechanism like a sup or something.