Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

UQSUQTUUQ/GJOA HAVEN
Nine participants of a recent construction crash course in Gjoa Haven are now working, the NWT and Nunavut Construction Association said, results that have the association calling the training program a success.

Teddy Eleehetook, front right, is one of the Gjoa Haven Boot Camp participants who constructed a shed for hamlet elder Mary Takkiraq, back, as part of the NWT and Nunavut Construction Association course which ended last month. Also pictured are boot camp participants Kiefer Kikoak, Albert Palongayak, Jacob Teelktak, Dennis Qirqqut, and Travis Oogak. - photo courtesy of NWT and Nunavut Construction Association

Fifteen hamlet residents successfully completed the boot camp -- which aims to cover the ins and outs of the trade in an intensive two-week program -- walking away with several certificates necessary to gain employment in the industry.

"These guys literally ate it up," said Ron Klein, a co-instructor at the Gjoa Haven Boot Camp, who also teaches trades at the hamlet high school. "They ate up this course.

"They really cherish and treasure when they get these certificates."

Participant Teddy Eleehetook had been hired to work seasonally for mines operating in the region even before the boot camp, but took part to keep up with the ever-changing rules and regulations in construction work, and to refresh his mind on basic skills like using a measuring tape and cutting plywood, he said.

"(The program) sharpens your skills and opens up your mind," Eleehetook said. "They did a good job, lots of people turned out."

Eleehetook said he only wishes the boot camp, which culminated in the construction of two sheds for hamlet elders, had been longer.

"It was more of an intense training," Klein said, calling the program a "stepping stone.

"It makes them more qualified and (makes them) look forward to developing themselves to a further stage. It's an excellent what we call foot in the door."

Workplace compliant safety certifications are one of the primary areas taught at the boot camp. This is an area which is seeing increased scrutiny in the construction industry, particularly because the Workers' Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC) has announced it is raising its rates next year.

"(Safety certification) is very important because the WSCC is looking more at that the workers have this training," Klein said. "The whole idea is to teach them to do this work without hurting themselves or others."

Students who successfully complete these programs have a higher rate of employment immediately after completion, said Phil Moon Son, executive director of the construction association, noting high rates of unemployment together with a labour shortage in the communities is why the boot camp was conducted in the hamlet after being run twice in Yellowknife.

"There is the need in smaller communities, not just in major centres," Son said.

While employment is not guaranteed, participants are provided with mentorship placements and the association co-ordinates contact with employers.

The Government of Nunavut Department of Education, mining company MMG, Kitikmeot Community Futures Inc., the Kitikmeot Inuit Association, Nuna Group of Companies, and the Kitikmeot Corp. were all involved in bringing the program to Gjoa Haven.

The next community the boot camp will be held in has not yet been determined because the construction association is continuing to seek more funding for the $40,000 program.

We welcome your opinions. Click here to e-mail a letter to the editor.