Philippe Morin
Northern News Services
Monday, March 19, 2007

INUVIK - Students from the Beaufort Delta got to try their hands at carpentry last month. Schools across the region hosted free woodworking classes.

Beaufort Delta Education Council (BDEC) Instructor Gar Randall visited schools in Ulukhaktok (Holman), Paulatuk, Tuktoyaktuk, Aklavik, Inuvik and Tsiigehtchic, spending a few days in each location.

Austin Abbott, who is the Skills Program Coordinator for the BDEC, said the workshops were part of a program called MITT, or Mobile Instruction to Trades Training.

The program has been running for about three years, he said, and is intended to introduce students to trades.

Part of the BDEC project is also the refurbishment of shop classes, he said, in a side-project called "tools for schools."

Abbott said new equipment would be provided to schools such as 'smart' table saws, which stop faster and reduce the risk of accidents.

"It's experiential," Abbot said, choosing the apt word to describe the MITT program.

"It allows kids to have an experience and really try it out."

The MITT program is funded by the BDEC, government sponsors and various private companies in the North.