CHESTERFIELD INLET - Six residents of Chesterfield Inlet are now eligible to take the air brakes licence test after completing the Class 3 air brakes course earlier this month.

The students of the Class 3 air brakes course in Chesterfield Inlet are, in back, Luke Aggark; front row, from left, Eric Nanaout, Arsene Putugoo, Don Mimialik, Travis Niviatsiak and Brian Tanuyak. - photo courtesy of Don Tourangeau

Once licensed, participants will be qualified to drive large vehicles such as water, sewage and gravel trucks

"They're learning the complete air brake system on today's vehicles, both the theory and the practical side of it," instructor Don Tourangeau of D.H.T Contracting said. He said students worked seven days a week to complete the course, which began on July 7 and ended on July 20.

Tourangeau said the next step is for the students to complete the territorial exam to receive their Class 3 driver's licence.

"I bring them up to a level where they can challenge the exam of Nunavut, the GN exam, and they're pretty successful," Tourangeau said. "The success rate I have is about 94 per cent."

The GN exam was scheduled to take place in Chesterfield Inlet the week of July 27.

The course also allows students who already have their licences to improve their skills.

Luke Aggark said he worked eight to 10 hours a day during the program, but said the long hours were worth it.

"It's hard, but you learn something," he said. "We learn things that we didn't know about. I thought I had good driving skills, but now I learned more than I knew before."

Aggark said the most difficult part of the course for him was the reading and the testing components because he is a hands-on learner.

"The reading and the testing were kind of hard, but you get something out of it," he said.

Tourangeau said the reviews and quizzes determine how much the students have learned, and then students know what they have to improve in order to be ready for the course's final exam.

"Everyone is back in class for a review and a quiz. We're going to review what we've covered again and we'll have a quiz. The quiz will tell me if they've studied the books or not," he said. "Then we'll have three days to get their marks up to 80 per cent for the final."

Aggark said his goal is to work as a gravel truck driver or to fill in for municipal drivers when they go on holidays.

Eric Nanaout said he found learning about the air brake systems in the trucks the most difficult part of the course, but the driving component helped him become more confident behind the wheel.

"I'm not nervous to drive a big truck now," he said.

Aggark said he encourages other Nunavummiut to upgrade their skills if they have the opportunity.

"When they hear about a course like that, they should take it," he said. "They will learn lots and have their career easier for them."