NUNAVUT - Arctic College has turned its Pre-Trades course into a Trades Access program, a much longer course with a lot more material.

The course is meant to prepare people to take the trade entrance exam, which is required to enter technical training or apprenticeships.

The pilot for the new course will be in Rankin Inlet this fall.

"The beauty of this course is that it's a 28-week program that will incorporate a lot of other interesting things as well, as opposed to the Pre-Trades which is quick and dirty, for people who are pretty close who don't need a lot of work," said Alan Everard, senior instructor for Trades Access.

The Pre-Trades program was three months long until this past academic year, when it was extended to six months. Even so, it was criticized for not taking enough time to teach aspiring tradespeople the math and science skills needed to pass the entrance exam.

The Trades Access course will also include driver training, first aid and CPR, computer skills and WHMIS - workplace hazardous materials information system - a materials safety course essential to almost any trades work.

One recent graduate of the Pre-Trades program was pleased when he heard about the expanded program.

"I think that would be even better (than the Pre-Trades)," said Silas Natanine, who recently passed the trade entrance exam to pursue an apprenticeship.

The pilot course will also include English and Inuktitut language training to develop the technical vocabulary to work in trades.

Later, if the program is expanded into the other regions of Nunavut, the language training could include Inuinnaqtun in Cambridge Bay and/or Kugluktuk.

One of the eventual objectives of the course is to make Inuit languages the language of trades in Nunavut.