"There's one guy who wants to be a cook, but he has a reading comprehension level of a Grade 4," said program co-ordinator Rosilynd Minault. "So we need to get him into the language of recipes and cooking."

Currently, all eight students are taking the cooking unit to get a taste for that potential career path. Today, they are hosting a smorgasbord lunch for about 15 program supporters at the United Church.

"We expose everybody to all the possibilities, then if it really grabs them they don't have to venture on (to other units)," Minault said.

But with jobs scarce and the training valuable, dropouts are unlikely.

"The cooking was fun and I am going to do it at home," said student Jason Pittman, while stirring a beef dish. "I want to get a job in carpentry or using heavy duty equipment."

The Vocational Trade Centre is funded by Human Resources and Development Canada, the GNWT Department of Education and the Harry E. Foster Foundation in Ontario.

Program director Karen Marshall said there is funding for 10 students, though she lamented a lack of physical space for instruction.

"They're visual learners. They have trouble with verbalizing," said Minault, who despite her own learning disability completed three undergraduate degrees at both Western and Dalhousie University.

As a child, Marshall didn't know she was disabled, only that her mother spent an inordinate amount of time helping her learn.

"It may be a bit of guilt over the time my mother spent with me which made me want to help others."

About five to 10 per cent of the population have learning disabilities, according to the NWT Learning Disabilities Association.

Though most learning problems are mild and congenital, they can be severe and develop after birth.

Some examples of problems are dyslexia, attention deficit disorder and language disabilities.