Malcolm Gorrill
Northern News Services

Inuvik (Sep 28/01) - The 13 students who graduated last week from the service rig training program were told their certificates are keys to their future.

"That certificate you have right now is more than a decoration you can put on your wall," remarked Inuvik Boot Lake MLA Floyd Roland during ceremonies at the site along Navy Road.

"There's a lot of people behind you to support you and move you ahead, and I know from a government perspective, we're encouraged to see all the groups pulling together in the North," Roland said.

"We're showing the rest of the territory how things can be done and done right."

The nine-day program wrapped up Sept. 5, and was put on by the local campus of Aurora College, and delivered by Petroleum Industry Training Service.

The Inuvialuit Regional Corporation and the Gwich'in Tribal Council sponsored seats in the program. IRC chair Nellie Cournoyea told the graduates that this training is a good example of what her group wants to see.

"We want to see a future for the people," Cournoyea said.

"When there's something going on we try to grab a hold of the opportunity so that you can be here, because that's important to us. If you're not, then we're not doing our job," Cournoyea said.

"I want all of you to know we're going to be there for that next step."

GTC president Fred Carmichael said the program was a good example of what can happen when industry, aboriginal groups and governments work together.

"You are setting an example for the ones that follow," Carmichael told the grads.

"Always go for the top."

The college is leasing the site from the Town of Inuvik for a dollar a year, and deputy mayor Arlene Hansen addressed the audience.

"Working together is wonderful," Hansen said.

"It's wonderful that we'll be able to know that we'll have local people working and be able to work on rigs in a safe manner."

The territorial and federal governments, as well as many oil and gas firms, and local contractors, helped prepare the site this summer.

The camp on the site was donated by AEC Inc. and Akita Equitak, with Arctic Oil and Gas providing the catering and cleaning. Imperial Oil Resources Ltd. out of Norman Wells donated a lot of pipe and tubing.

Cased hole unique

The service rig was donated by Polar-Bonus Energy Services. Representative Stuart Watson referred to the 400 metre cased well drilled at the site this summer for the oil rig floorhand training program, which wrapped up in August.

"I don't know if many of you realize it, but there is only a handful of wells like this in western Canada," Watson said.

"This is really unique. The fact you've got a cased well allows us not only to train service rig hands, drilling rig hands -- you can now train any aspect of the oil industry."

Aurora College also put on truck training while preparing the site over the summer.

Campus director Miki O'Kane said in an interview that she's pleased with how the service rig training went.

O'Kane said not all the bills are in yet, but that the total cost of the three training programs will be at least $1.5 million. That includes actual costs and in-kind contributions.