FORT SIMPSON - People interested in business can now use their lunch hours to brush up on their knowledge at the Deh Cho Business Development Centre in Fort Simpson.

Video conference capabilities have been set up at the Deh Cho centre including two 46-inch LCD flat screen televisions and a high resolution camera. The equipment arrived in early March and was purchased with funding from Indian and Northern Affairs Canada as part of a joint proposal submitted by four organizations, said Todd Noseworthy, the general manager of the centre.

Using the new equipment, the centre is offering people the chance to participate in a number of different business-related seminars offered by The Business Link in Edmonton. Using a high speed internet connection, people can watch and interact with presenters in real-time.

"It's business training for free," said Noseworthy.

Having the equipment and access to the seminars is a great opportunity for people in the village, said Noseworthy.

"It's a way of bringing experts to Fort Simpson without the cost," he said.

Participating in the seminars is easy, Noseworthy said.

During a scheduled seminar, the expert on that day's topic speaks from a location in Alberta and has their presentation sent over the Internet.

In Fort Simpson, the presenter appears on one of the television screens. The other screen displays their Power Point presentation. Using the high resolution camera and a microphone, someone watching in the village can then ask questions of the presenter, said Noseworthy.

So far the centre in Fort Simpson has linked into six different presentations.

The Brown Bag presentations are the most convenient because they run for an hour starting at 12 p.m., said Noseworthy. People can bring their lunch and listen to the presentation, he said. People can also participate in the Small Business seminars that run for three hours.

Between two and six people have come to the centre for each presentation.

"I thought it was actually amazing," said Andrew Gaule, who has participated in two of the presentations.

Gaule said this was the first video conference system that he has seen that has worked because it doesn't have delays in the signal transmission.

One of the neat things about the presentations is that they're interactive, said Gaule, who runs the business North of 60 Training and Consulting. Gaule said the seminars have been helping him brush up on a few things.

This service will also help fill the need for training and capacity building, he said. Businesses in Fort Simpson can now get the kind of training available to everyone else in Canada.

Fort Simpson is one of three sites in the Northwest Territories to offer this service including Fort Smith and Yellowknife. Norman Wells and Hay River will also have the equipment soon.

Twenty-eight sites in Alberta also participate in seminars.

The equipment can also be used for private interactions such as job interviews, training and meetings, said Noseworthy.

In the future, Noseworthy hopes to organize a seminar that will be broadcast in the North. Workers' compensation is a possible topic because it's different in every province and territory, he said.

Upcoming presentations include Cashing In Or Cashing Out on May 8, Forms of Business on May 10, Stop Asking and Start Training for Referrals on May 15 and Work on Your Business, Not In It on May 17.