Home page

Text size

E-mail this page

INUVIK
The Inuvik-to-Tuktoyaktuk highway construction project, which is scheduled to begin in Inuvik in early 2014, is expected to employ 400 workers over four years. A few Beaufort Delta residents will begin training with Northwind next month in hopes of being among them.

An 11-week workplace readiness training course is being offered in Inuvik next month to prepare young or inexperienced aboriginal construction workers for employment on the Inuvik-to-Tuktoyaktuk all-weather road, which is scheduled to begin construction in Inuvik by Feb. 1. Northwind Industries Ltd. and the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation often partner to provide professional development opportunities for aboriginal workers, such as this six-week heavy equipment operator's course delivered in Inuvik in 2011. Participants in that course included instructor Sam Klimek, front row, from left, Glen Gordon, Peter Lennie, Richard Binder, Jordan Bourque, Robert Joss; back row, from left, Josh Campbell, Foster Arie, Brent Kaglik, Philip Inuktalik and Brian Kawikchuk. - NNSL file photo

About 70 Inuvialuit and Gwich'in residents have applied to fill 20 spots in a workplace readiness program for aboriginal workers, which is scheduled to run in Inuvik from Sept. 3 to Nov. 15. The courses are being organized by the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC) and the Gwich'in Tribal Council, in partnership with Northwind Industries Ltd. and the territorial and federal governments.

"It's a great opportunity for people in the North," said Candace Morgan, human resources officer with the IRC. "With road construction being the primary driver, what we're looking for is to get locals back in the swing of work because oil and gas has been pretty stagnant. There are people that did work in oil and gas and some folks need some kind of refresher to get back in the workplace."

The training program, which stopped accepting applications on Aug. 9, is also designed to prepare young people for what may be their first job in the workforce, explained Aiden Dunne, director of business development with Northwind.

"The idea of it is to give them the skills to apply for a job and help them understand what is required to keep the job," Dunne said. "It will become easier for graduates of this course to apply and get work."

The graduates will be in a stronger position to apply to Northwind as well as other contractors in the region, such as Tuktoyaktuk-based E. Gruben's Transport Ltd. and Calgary-based Horizon North Logistics Inc., Dunne said.

The 11-week program, which will include classroom work at Aurora College's Inuvik campus and field training with Northwind, is divided into seven sessions. The first seven-week module covers general employment skills, such as how to maintain a strong work ethic, filling out time sheets, personal finance, understanding industry terms and definitions, hand signals, signage recognition, and radio communication.

A one-week safety and first-aid course will feature transportation of dangerous goods and workplace hazardous materials information systems certification. The final three weeks will be custom-designed for each participant, to provide specialized training, such as Class 3 licensing with airbrake training, flag work, and environmental monitoring skills.

A separate Class 1 driver licensing program will be held later in November, Dunne said, adding program participants will be invited to apply to that course, as well.

Four environmental monitors trained during the program will be hired by the IRC, according to Morgan. They would join four experienced environmental monitors already hired by the corporation.

Donna Neyando, manager of education and training with the Gwich'in Tribal Council, says Gwich'in workers should consider applying early for highway jobs.

"I think it's a good opportunity. A lot's going to be available in the coming fall," Neyando said, adding Gwich'in applicants can drop their resumes at the tribal council's office in Inuvik.

Hiring in January

Northwind, a 100-per-cent Inuvialuit-owned company based in Inuvik, currently employs about 35 people, but Dunne said that number will gradually grow to about 100 to120 workers at some point during construction of the 140-kilometre highway, which is slated to begin by Feb. 1.

Northwind has applied to the GNWT to be a general contractor and part of a joint venture on the highway project, said Dunne, adding he hopes the GNWT will announce which companies have won tenders sometime this fall.

"It would be our hope we would start early in January, with actual hiring and moving equipment around, and it would be nice to get a response from the government by the end of November for that to happen," he said.

The $299-million all-weather road will require four-million cubic feet of dirt to be moved and eight to 11 bridges to be built along its route. The bulk of construction needs to occur during winter months to preserve the permafrost, which helps maintain the road's stability.

"The stresses of the environment will require that we finish particular parts of the job sooner than later, and in order to finish faster, you have to hire more people," Dunne said. "They won't be hired on the first of January, they will be hired over a period of time."

About 200 workers began working on an 18-and-a-half-kilometre stretch of existing access road leading out of Tuktoyaktuk this past April to bring it up to highway standards, under the direction of E. Gruben's Transport, shortly after the project was approved by the legislative assembly in March. Inuvik is expected to require another 200 jobs when work on that end of the highway begins in 2014.

Dunne and Morgan said more training opportunities to prepare workers for highway construction jobs will likely be organized next year. Neyando said the Gwich'in Tribal Council is planning other worker-training sessions in the fall, including chainsaw safety training, H2S Alive Hydrogen Sulphide Training, and first-aid CPR.

The majority of the funding for the workplace readiness training course comes from the federal Employment and Social Development program's Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy, but the final budget is still being finalized this month, Morgan said. An additional $14,000 in GNWT funding came from the Department of Education, Culture and Employment.

The federal government committed $200 million of the $299 million highway project.

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