Yellowknife (Mar 22/06) - Some hard working North Slave Metis Alliance beneficiaries will be going back to school with the help of the NWT Mine Training Society.

In the coming months, 10 aboriginal workers with the Metis-Sodexho Marriot Foods joint-venture at BHP Billiton's Ekati mine will have the chance to upgrade their academic and job training skills thanks to a $268,000 donation to the Alliance from the Society.

The joint- venture firm holds a contract that Indian Affairs and Northern Development Canada reports is worth $5.4 million annually.

Candidates accepted into the 12-month program will first meet with an academic advisor who will help identify courses that would most-benefit their careers.

"The courses they end up taking will vary depending on their interests," said Sheila McGrath, human resources manager for the Metis group. "The program is designed to support them in whatever they choose."

While the choices are relatively wide open, Society chairman Leon Lafferty explained they will need to be related to mine operation or support in some way.

"The beauty of this project is that it is flexible," said Bill Enge, president of the North Slave Metis Alliance. "It's a real milestone for us - the training will allow staff to gain education and move up the ladder."

The training will be provided through project partner Aurora College. Part of the goal is to help aboriginal workers develop skills transferable from one workplace to another, added Lafferty.

"These skills will help people be successful long after any one diamond mine is gone," said Sean Brennan, president and chief operating officer at Ekati.

The Mine Training Society draws on almost $40 million in funding from industry, the federal and territorial governments as well as First Nations groups.

In addition to the North Slave Metis Alliance, partnerships exists with the Tlicho government, Yellowknives Dene and Lutsel K'e Dene.

The Society is engaged in placing more than 380 aboriginal people in full-time mining jobs, while creating up to 1,100 training opportunities for beneficiaries.

BHP Billiton, Diavik Diamond Mine and De Beers Canada are all involved in the society by providing part of the funding as well as allowing opportunities for trainees to put their skills to work.