Education Minister unveils $12 million Training plan
Jorge Barrera
Northern News Services
Yellowknife (Nov 01/00) - In anticipation of a non-renewable resource industry boom Education Minister Jake Ootes has unveiled a $12 million, four-year strategy to get Northerners trained for the hundreds of jobs new development will create.
 Education Minister Jake Ootes says the challenge of having meaningful labour done by Northerners is achievable. |
The education strategy took six months to create and Ootes says this is the first time his department has produced such a sweeping plan.
"It's an important project for us," said Ootes. "We're going all out with the resources we have."
He adds that the strategy was born of the necessity to have Northern workers filling Northern jobs.
"It's important to have meaningful labour done by (Northerners)," said Ootes, "It's the challenge we have and it's achievable."
Ootes says a large chunk of the unemployed population in the territory lacks education. This strategy targets that unskilled labour pool to create skilled Northern workers for industry jobs.
The Department of Education will work in partnership with Arctic College, aboriginal groups and hamlets to get the training courses off the ground.
The strategy is also aiming to give the education and training needed for flexible workers who can move up the labour ladder.
"We want to provide the resources so people can go to other jobs and into other avenues," said Ootes.
He hopes the federal government will share the same enthusiasm because the four-year strategy depends heavily on government funding.
"The plan is...directed as a submission to the federal government to identify the resources we need," said Ootes who hopes to get $3 million in funding for 2000/2001 to get the program rolling.
Because of the Nov 27 federal election, funding is on hold for now but Ootes doesn't believe it will slow things down. He has committed $500,000 for existing training courses.
"We're hopeful of funding to speed things up but it's not stopping us," said Ootes.
"I'm quite encouraged that we even have this (strategy)."
