It was, in a way, an uncomfortable juxtaposition: the celebration of success mixed with the knowledge that it's not enough.

The territory's apprenticeship program is currently guiding a little over 300 students toward jobs in a gamut of services: welding, plumbing and the like. Each year, about 30 graduate. In total, 82 per cent of students in the program complete their course of studies, which includes 10 months of work followed by two months of government-subsidized classroom time.

The program costs the GNWT about $2.4 million a year to run.

On Tuesday, politicians with business leaders in applause with as the apprenticeship program honour roll was announced. That meant plaques for people like Jonathon Kirby of Great Slave Helicopters, Donald MacQuarrie of Ryfan Electric and Bryan Kelly of JSL Mechanical.

Only about a third of award winners made it to the lunch-hour event. One of the no-shows was Sam Perrino, who took the highest prize as the top NWT graduating apprentice in all trades.

An avid dog musher, Perrino took a long time to complete the apprenticeship program with Kelly Enterprises.

But, he said in a government newsletter, "You have to understand that I was able to make enough money as an apprentice to pay the bills and run my household for the year. This allowed me to take the time off in the winter to race my dogs in Canada and the U.S."

But underlying the fanfare was a sense that the apprenticeship program, while successful, isn't enough. The NWT is starved for workers in the trades -- the people needed to literally build the territory's burgeoning economy.

"In the NWT, the demands for people in trades is very, very high," said Education Minister Jake Ootes during an opening address at the ceremony.

"This is one of the big gaps in our employment stock -- home-grown tradespeople," said MLA Bill Braden, who attended the ceremony.

"We're fixed on the oil and gas mantra, but the trades are equalling rewarding: they're well-paying and there's a lot of work."

At least one businessman couldn't agree more. Frank Kelly owns Kelly Enterprises, where Perrino completed his apprenticeship.

"The apprenticeship program is the backbone of the industry," he said.