Iqaluit (Dec 24/03) - Andrea McLarty, 19, and Charlotte Zawadski, 20, were among 22 nursing students who received cash awards from the Nunavut government on Tuesday in a ceremony held in the lobby of Nunavut Arctic College in Iqaluit.

"It helps out financially, paying for school and books," said McLarty of the $2,500 award.

Zawadski, like McLarty, hails from Rankin Inlet. She also received a $2,500 award to put towards financing her education. The money makes her feel supported, she said.

"I have a nine-month-old (child)," she said, "and it's so expensive to live in Iqaluit."

Both women say they want to work in Rankin Inlet once they graduate from the four-year bachelor of nursing program.

Premier Paul Okalik and Health Minister Ed Picco addressed the students who gathered in the lobby.

"Your future is now," Okalik said. "I wish I could have had this kind of support when I was a student."

Picco indicated there are 165 nursing positions throughout Nunavut. The health department could not confirm the number of vacant positions before press time.

With a nursing shortage predicted for 2006, Picco hopes the program will provide enough nursing support in communities where help is needed most.

"We're turning out people for jobs," said Picco. "Home grown talent."

Picco said it is "unacceptable" that 730 Nunavut patients are receiving chemotherapy, getting mammographies done, and being cared for right now outside of Nunavut.

The nursing program at Nunavut Arctic College was developed in 1999. Currently 27 students are enrolled, with the first graduates expected in 2004.