Yellowknife (Feb 01/06) - Sprott-Shaw Community College has come to Yellowknife to help youth get skills they need for finding employment.

Representatives from the college are currently interviewing people aged 16 to 30 to fill 16 spots for the Skills Link for Youth program which will run from Feb. 6th into April.

"The program is designed for high-risk youth who face barriers when looking for employment," said program co-ordinator Debra Buggins. "These barriers can include language, culture, or personal barriers like addiction."

Sprott-Shaw is a Vancouver, B.C.-based private training institute that traces its roots back to 1903 when it was called the Vancouver Business Institute.

It now operates on three continents and offers a range of courses, from business-diploma courses to practical nurse education and animation programs.

Buggins said most youth in the program will likely not have finished high school.

The program focuses on training youth in the construction trade sector and combines classroom lessons and guest speakers and a 10-week practicum at Yellowknife businesses.

Practicums will vary depending on the interests of the students. Some of the potential trades the youth might train in are framing and drywall, carpet laying, and painting, said Buggins.

As well, students will work on life skills like anger management and how to deal with addiction, as well as job searching skills, basic literacy, computers and math.

Students will also receive first aid training.

The newly hired Life Skills instructor, Bonnie Henderson, has experience working with people looking for work but not knowing how to get employed.

"I worked at Employability as a job coach and co-ordinator," she said.

Joshua Watson will double as the administrative assistant and construction coach.

As an added incentive, youth in the program will receive a wage of $8.25 an hour paid for by the federal government. Buggins expects that she will have more applicants than spaces.

She said she hopes to run the same program in the summer.