Yellowknife (July 16/04) - Aurora College will not abandon its social work diploma program, despite cancelling the first year of the program for this fall.

"We are dedicated to the program in the long term," said Tim Gauthier, Aurora's public affairs manager.

Five students will start the final year of the two-year program in September, but there won't be any first-year students to follow them this fall.

Only three applicants met the requirements for the program -- five short of the number needed to offer the first year this fall, he said.

Gauthier said the low number of applicants could be due to more demanding requirements or waning interest in the program.

The college promotes the program with newspaper and radio advertising and through trade fairs and school visits across the Territories, Gauthier said.

The social work access program, which prepares students for college level studies, he said.

Rita Chretien, president of the Association of Social Workers of Northern Canada, was disappointed the program hasn't attracted more Northern students.

Without a program to bring Northerners to the field, organizations have to depend on a transient work force from the south, said Chretien.

That deprives people of a social worker who might speak their own language or be invested in their community, she said.

"I think there is a barrier to people being able to access it," she said.