Ikey Nanegoak is a role model for Inuit. The Cambridge Bay resident left school after completing Grade 8 because attending high school meant he had to leave home.

As he as struggled to make ends meet on seasonal employment and odd jobs, the Kitikmeot Employment and Training Partners (KETP) began to provide Inuit with viable training opportunities. Nearly three years later, Nanegoak works full-time at Lupin Mine and is about to become a supervisor there.

News/North: Is Cambridge Bay your hometown?

Ikey Nanegoak: I was born and raised in Bathurst Inlet (Kinngauk), but I moved to Cambridge Bay about 15 or 20 years ago.

N/N: What was it like leaving Bathurst and moving to Cambridge Bay? It must have been quite a change.

IN: It was all right, but I miss home sometimes.

N/N: Tell me what life is like in Bathurst.

IN: It's all quiet there and isolated. It's a little community.

There are probably, in the winter, about nine people. There's just one family who lives there.

N/N: They must be a very tight-knit family.

IN: Yes.

N/N: Did you miss that when you came to Cambridge Bay?

IN: I did miss them when I left.

N/N: What made you leave Bathurst?

IN: I went to look for work. There are just summer jobs in Bathurst.

N/N: How old were you?

IN: I was 19 I think. I was single then.

N/N: What was your first job when you got to Cambridge Bay?

IN: I was working for Igloo Enterprises doing different contracts -- moving stuff around and packing people who were moving out of town. That was about 15 years ago.

N/N: What was your work history like before you took the heavy equipment operators course through Kitikmeot Employment and Training Partners?

IN: I did odd jobs here and there, a lot of seasonal work.

N/N: No full-time employment?

IN: No, just odd jobs. I wasn't qualified for anything. I had no training for certain types of jobs.

N/N: How did that make you feel?

IN: I felt bad for leaving school early. I left in Grade 8.

N/N: It must have been hard to find a job with a Grade 8 education.

IN: It was.

N/N: Did that make you have less confidence or doubt yourself?

IN: I don't know. Life went on, I suppose.

N/N: How did you find out about the heavy equipment operator course?

IN: Sean (Peterson of KETP) told me about this course. He asked me if I was interested so I took it. I didn't even have my driver's license at that time.

N/N: How long did it take you to get your driver's license?

IN: A few days. I studied the driver's manual. I already knew how to drive.

N/N: After your Class 5 driver's license, you went on to get your air brakes ticket and Class 3?

IN: Yes.

N/N: How did you do in the heavy equipment operators course?

IN: It was good. I liked taking that course. I was first in my class.

N/N: That must have made you feel good.

IN: Yes, it made me feel good.

N/N: What happened after you graduated?

IN: I took a few days off and then I was offered a job at the DEW (Distant Early Warning)-Line site for a few weeks' clean-up. Then I went to work for KitNuna. It was just a summer project and then I was offered a job at Lupin Mine as a heavy equipment operator so I took that.

N/N: How long have you worked at Lupin for?

IN: Two and a half years now.

N/N: That's a long time. What's it like there?

IN: It's an isolated mining camp. There's about 200 people there.

There's quite a few Inuit there. I work two weeks in, two weeks out, 11 hours a day. I get lonely sometimes.

N/N: You have children now?

IN: Two -- they're five and three.

N/N: How do you cope with missing your wife and children while you're away?

IN: I phone them every few days.

N/N: You're getting a promotion over the Christmas holidays?

IN: Just for four days. I'll be the acting supervisor.

N/N: Do you think you're a good role model for other Inuit and for your own children?

IN: I hope so. I hope young people stick with it and finish school and go to college.

N/N: Why did you leave school in Grade 8?

IN: I don't know. I didn't think it was important. Now, I know it's important to finish school.

N/N: It must have been nice to be able to take that heavy equipment course right in Cambridge Bay.

IN: It was nice that it was right in the community.

N/N: Do you hope to become a permanent supervisor at the mine?

IN: I still have to get used to the supervising part of it. One day, I hope to be a supervisor.