Aurora College adds more cultural courses
Course catalogue includes traditional art
Mark Rieder
Northern News Services
Thursday, July 23, 2015
INUVIK
Aurora College's Inuvik campus is bringing in continuing education courses to meet the needs of students across a wide range of subjects.
Andrew Haas, co-ordinator of continuing education at Aurora College Inuvik Campus, has finalized the 2015 fall schedule. - Mark Rieder/NNSL photo
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Andrew Haas, co-ordinator of continuing education at Aurora College Inuvik Campus, said the programs they offer are extensive.
"It puts together courses for a much wider client than probably any other branch of the college," he said.
Haas said that stems from the demand placed on them to provide as many courses as possible.
"Because we are the only (post-secondary institution) up here, we do a little bit of everything," he said.
The college also plans to widen its scope of cultural programs as well.
"We'll be doing some more traditional art courses this fall," said Haas.
In order to meet the needs of students, the college has reached out to members of the community to discover what they want.
"We have created a survey that we put out to the community and we received a fair response," he said. "From that we've assessed what we have within our abilities what we can put together."
Though some instructors have to be brought in from other communities, Haas said there are a good number of teachers found locally.
"For the most part, we have a good pool here." he said.
Haas said the program is mostly based around classes that help people find jobs fast.
"Courses that are relatively quick, that allow people to get certification like first aid and CPR are very popular because they directly translate into a qualification for employment," he said.
There are also courses that are aimed at helping people continue with a traditional lifestyle.
"Firearms safety is popular because it allows somebody to go out and continue hunting and continue traditional ways of living," said Haas.
The college has an open door policy in that they encourage input from the community to ensure they can provide classes that local residents require for their current and future needs.
"We are always open to partnerships with businesses, government organizations, and aboriginal governments in order to build capacity in the North," said Haas.
