Rankin Inlet (Jun 07/06) - Aircraft communicators and weather observers began training in Nunavut for the first time this past month when Nunavut Arctic College's Kivalliq campus in Rankin Inlet unveiled its newest program.

Director of Nunavut airports David Ittinuar and Nav Canada manager of aviation weather services John Foottit, right, unveiled the new CARS training program in Rankin Inlet this past month. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo

The program for Community Aerodrome Radio Stations (CARS) personnel is being funded by Nav Canada.

Once trained, the observer/communicators (OC) will provide weather observations to Nav Canada and voice advisory to incoming aircraft.

In the past, potential OCs travelled to Fort Smith, NWT, for training.

Those training for part-time locations require a nine-week course, while full-time workers at 24-hour stations require 11 weeks.

The student intake for the program at Aurora College was divided between Nunavut, the N.W.T. and the Yukon.

Director of Nunavut airports David Ittinuar said Nunavut often had a higher demand for operators than the old course could provide.

He said moving the program to Nunavut created a capacity of 10 seats per course.

"When you're coming from all points of Nunavut into Fort Smith, that's quite a change in your cultural environment," said Ittinuar.

"That led to some issues with attrition, with about 50 per cent of our students not completing the course.

"If we had a vacancy in our system, and missed the cut between course intakes in July and January, it was a long time before we could provide a trained operator to the site.

"That caused a great deal of strain for many of our sites through staff shortages and, ultimately, reduced hours of operation."

Ittinuar said the GN raised those points when negotiating a new five-year management contract with Nav Canada.

He said the school had to be based in Nunavut for the GN to continue playing a role in CARS management services.

"It's not going to happen immediately, but we'll soon see the benefits of having 10 available seats through a staff increase and a reduction in the pressure of staff shortages and reduced hours.

"Also, by being in a community much like their own, we expect our attrition rate to improve."

Ittinuar said the move was accomplished without sacrificing course content.

He said the Rankin curriculum is exactly what it was in Fort Smith.

"The instructors were a joint-hiring process between myself and Arctic College.

"Bill Taylor and Paul Constantineau are top-quality, certified instructors who spent two weeks assisting with the delivery of the last course delivered to Nunavut students in Fort Smith.

"They lifted the curriculum and brought it to Rankin with them."