On course for Enterprise
Adult education class on computers to be offered in hamlet next month
Paul Bickford
Northern News Services
Published Monday, February 24, 2014
ENTERPRISE
If all goes according to plan, Aurora College will begin offering its first adult education course in Enterprise next month.
"We hope to be up and running in early March," said Ken Latour, the college's regional program head for the Akaitcho and the South Slave.
The first course to be offered will be computer literacy, and six or seven people have expressed an interest in attending.
Latour said the course will introduce the basics of computing and frequently-used programs such as e-mailing, web browsing and producing documents.
Right now, he is working on obtaining some laptops from the college's Hay River Community Learning Centre and creating a portable computer lab to bring to Enterprise.
"We want to see how this goes and hopefully have a successful class this spring," Latour said, adding that will determine if more courses might be added in the fall.
The idea of college classes in the community has been developing for almost a year, since the Hamlet of Enterprise contacted the college about offering courses. It was originally hoped that courses might begin this past fall.
A public meeting, which attracted at least 10 people, was held in Enterprise on Feb. 5 to get community input on what courses should be offered.
"I was happy to see the interest," said Latour. "It was a well-attended meeting and the participation was really good, too."
The people at the meeting expressed the most interest is in a computer literacy course.
In addition to that one course, instructors will help with individual education. That means, for example, a student might be seeking help to complete a particular high school course.
Latour noted that three young adults have expressed interest in getting help with particular courses and they are also expected to start in March.
In such cases, they are generally signed up with the Alberta Distant Learning Centre, and the college covers a lot of the costs, he explained.
"And then we basically work with them as a tutor."
Amy Mercredi, a casual employee of the Hamlet of Enterprise who has been helping to organize the adult education, is pleased it is about to happen and says it will be valuable for the community.
"Because it will bring people together for a different purpose," she said. "Anything to create a positive atmosphere."
She noted the hamlet council has passed a motion to allow the college to offer the course in the space where council meets.
Mercredi, who writes funding proposals for the community government, noted the hamlet has been trying to get courses in the community because Aurora College has funding specifically for Enterprise.
The college receives about $14,000 a year from the Department of Education, Culture and Employment to offer adult literacy and basic education courses in the community.
Over the past few years, the college had asked the Hamlet of Enterprise if there was a need for adult education courses in the community and was told there wasn't.
So the money allocated for Enterprise was used at the Hay River Community Learning Centre and people from Enterprise took
courses there.
