Agencies team up for $4.9M program to train Nunavut Inuit in construction trades
‘We will see more Inuit standing tall because they will be able to contribute not only to their household, but to their community,’ NTI president says
Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. president Aluki Kotierk, left, and NCC Development Ltd. chairperson Harry Flaherty speak about a training program designed to keep construction jobs local and provide Inuit with employment. (Photo by David Lochead)
With more homes expected to be built in Nunavut, a new program is ensuring it is Inuit who will build them.
On Tuesday, Makigiaqta Inuit Training Corp. and NCC Development Ltd. announced a $4.9-million partnership to train Nunavut Inuit in the building construction trades. That money will be spent over six years.
“We will see more Inuit standing tall because they will be able to contribute not only to their household but to their community,” said Aluki Kotierk, president of Nunavut Tunngavik Inc.
Makigiaqta, an employment-focused organization within NTI, will fund training for up to 90 Nunavut Inuit to prepare for a career in the construction industry.
The training will be implemented by NCC Development, with participants learning from a certified journeyperson. The program will run over a six-year period, beginning this year
Tuesday’s announcement was made at one of the social housing units still under construction in Lower Iqaluit.
Harry Flaherty, chairperson of NCC Development’s board, listed carpenter, plumber and electrician as examples of positions in the construction industry Inuit will be able to pursue.
Kotierk said, by providing employment to more Inuit, this program will also give them the salaries needed to afford necessary items. For example, she pointed to Inuit being able to purchase hunting equipment which would allow them to participate in a traditional Inuit lifestyle.
She said having Inuit in these positions is also important to Article 23 of the Nunavut Agreement, which refers to the need for all levels of government to help train Inuit for jobs.
She said isolation hubs during the COVID-19 pandemic made it clear how much labour in Nunavut was coming from the south.
“We know that Inuit are capable, we know that Inuit want to be employed,” Kotierk said.
Training Nunavut Inuit will make the territory less reliant on southern help for construction, and help control building and maintenance costs, according to news release issued by NTI and NCC Development.
Flaherty said having more local labour for construction is “the whole point of this project.”
The first phase of the program will introduce trainees to the type of trades available, and take around 10 weeks to complete, he said.
The second phase will involve more practical work, with trainees participating with tradespeople already on a worksite.
If the trainees are interested in a career in trades after this program, they will receive help to apply to a trades apprenticeship program at a place such as Nunavut Arctic College, Flaherty said.
One reason too little local training has occurred to this point is because when a building project occurs, tight deadlines to complete the work often mean local training is left out, Flaherty said.
This program addresses that gap, he said.
The training will be offered in Inuktut and English and will respect Inuit culture, the news release said.
In the first year, the program will be offered in eight communities: Arctic Bay, Arviat, Baker Lake, Cambridge Bay, Gjoa Haven, Iqaluit, Rankin Inlet and Taloyoak. Other communities will be added as the program expands.
It’s time they be both gone, they’ve been in power too long and full of themselves
But , they will recycle themselfs and pop back up in a new form. Thats the problem with politician in the north, they go around and around.
Feel like I’m having deja-view
What is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results?
You can lead a horse to water…
another attempt at trying to get inuit to be responsible for their own destiny? nursing program, law school, nhc trust, free education and on and on. there appears to be a complete disconnect between the money spent and motivated people.
This is the papers MO to make sure hate is front and Center. Will be nice to allow open comments to showcase the miserable people whose hatred is openly shielded by this paper.
Cynicism yes, hate… I don’t see that.
Shops should start in school no later than Grade 3 with basic carpentry. Then it should progress to metalwork, welding, electrics, mechanics etc. and even learning to fly an airplane at age 16. Of course, the facilities would have to be open well beyond the standard school day. (Same thing for music programs where space to practice instruments is necessary outside school time.) And if more money is needed, tap the dead-money billions in the Nunavut Trust fund. What’s the point of the land settlement otherwise?
These people with influence and power, these announcements, these programs, this money; it’s all very, very, very wierd.
There is a degree of deception, corruption, wastage, self-centeredness, and acceptance that is eerie. The emperor has no clothes, but nearly everyone swears that he does
Why spend more money and time on this? There has been past examples of these types or programs having such a small impact or completion rate.
What you need done is helping the major social issues, because these issues follows students then drop out. Maybe educate families that education should be valued? Also respect teachers and others of different backgrounds, you know human decency. Stop the normalized violence and partying in front of kids. So much dysfunction that needs addressing. Educate families.
So many funding announcements for Makigiaqta but no actual money being given out. I think the only thing that budget is used for is to fund their leaderships’ children in private southern schools.
Will Aluki commit to releasing financial reports like public organizations do? Inuit are their members, and they deserve to see how their money is being spent.
I completely agree with you. The Makigiaqta department within NTI can be difficult to deal with. Sometimes the staff come to work, but you can’t help but wonder if they are sober. On top of that, they receive funding for their own children to attend school elsewhere, which is a clear conflict of interest. The NTI President needs to thoroughly check who is working for NTI before promoting Makigiata to the people of Nunavut.
by all means, go to your Regional Inuit Association representative and discuss this with them, or go to that persons director/CEO and notify them if you feel that’s happening.
reach out to understand what the process is on getting funding from Makigiaqta and what steps they take to ensure all the applications are treated equally. honestly it’s annoying reading these comments that appear to just go on information based on word of mouth. no effort to better understand the system in place for these funding opportunities. The program Makigiaqta runs is what our federal government should have been running over 20 years ago, of course feds didn’t do anything so it’s up to Inuit organizations to pick up their slack.
quit relying on posts and social media for information
Did I hit a mark ?
I wouldn’t be surprise if you are the mother/ fatherof whose child was approved and I bet you $1000.00 that your spouse works there …
Of course, it’s always the “Feds” who should be doing our legwork, never us. Thank you for reminding us.
I’m not saying they should be doing the work, I’m saying they needed to start these things when Nunavut was formed and transfer it over to Nunavummiut. Inuit should be taking over, it’s frustrating waiting on “feds” because their process takes too long.
Sadly I’m not one of those funded by NTI or makigiaqta, nor do I wish to apply or take away from the funds no doubt someone else could put to better use.
Respond to Observer , please note that when someone has a comment, opinion on a NTI staff member, they are commenting on first hand experience.
Nunavut has been around 25 years? And still complaining on Feds is very lame … Just saying
Bring back the school shop and home economics classes
Thank you for this initiative! This will help our people that want to learn and move forward with their lives! I love this so much! This is a hundred times better than nothing 🙂
Wasn’t NCC created to do just this back in 1999!! Here they just keep changing their company name and hiring employees from Newfoundland!! They sure pulled fast one on Inuit, hire their own family members and now 25 years later are finally ‘pretending’ to train Inuit when they should have been doing this from the start. I call Bull crap. Nunavut Construction Company, (NCC) then changed to NCCIG, NCC group of companies, now what Just NCC?
Thank you to those workers who come from all over Canada to provide services and do work in Nunavut that would otherwise not get completed. It is not easy to be away from home, separated from family and friends for long periods. Your sacrifice is appreciated. Perhaps, some day, initiatives like this one will result in Nunavut having its own pool of skilled workers. It should be noted though that programs like this have existed for decades. Hopefully lessons have been learned and this time there will be a greater level of success.
“Your sacrifice is appreciated”
lol
I think that this is either the 3rd or 4th attempt to get Inuit into the trades. The previous programs all ended in abject failure. I wonder what makes NTI think that it will work this time? You can’t cut corners to become a licenses tradesperson and history shows that no one is particularly interested in the multi-year commitment needed to become a licensed tradesperson.
Damn if they do, and damn if they don’t do anything to address the real challenges facing Inuit in gaining skills and eventually employment. I am not surprised by the prejudice written here; most of them are workers who failed in the South and came up here and failed even more. Inuit face poverty, which, in turn, children give up school because poverty is hideous and destroys all motivation and hope. Many people see this as a second chance and work hard to achieve the same thing anyone wants in life! Why should the Inuit remain poor and not participate in the economic, social and political system that was created by the Inuit for the Inuit? And Inuit leaders were smart enough to ask for public government instead of self-government, which would have kept a lot of settlers out. Instead of being grateful for having high salary opportunities they would never have in southern Canada, they bring their prejudice with them. It takes a lot of guts to run for public office and have a thick skin to endure the negative comments. At least the leaders are doing something worthwhile to help fellow citizens; what are you doing to improve your community?
As someone who grew up in a relatively dysfunctional household and had to deal with the challenges of moderate poverty, getting a higher education to get out of the cycle of poverty is what motivated me to succeed.
Poverty can either be a crutch or an opportunity, it’s all about perspective and personal drive.
There’s a trade school in Rankin Inlet whose Dean doesn’t even have his grade 12. Now, if that doesn’t tell you the state of things here, I’m not sure what will.
It’s all about having the right name baby…
How about this, if they really wanted to have Inuit working for NCC provide the right equipment. I know Inuit that can’t buy steel toe boots or even knee pads. I know thete has been Inuit doing flooring for 10 hours without knee pads. You can’t buy steel toe boots or knee pads in Iqaluit, yet the southerners can go south and get equipped. There is probably a lot Inuit that would work if they had the right gear. The southerners get housing, flown in and out every 3 weeks and Inuit get a 250.00 bonus. Bullshit. I don’t think Aluki has a clue what’s going on in the construction industry in this territory. Saku is way better run. Time for the old dinosaurs to go. Us Inuit don’t see a penny from NCC. Anyone know who they report to?
I have never had a problem buying safety shoes In Iqaluit. Never, even going back to the 80’s. With online shopping you can buy anything, anywhere, anytime. Most employers in the North provide knee pads, hard hats, gloves, safety vests, fall arrest, safety glasses, earplugs and all the tools required for the employees. A lot of companies also provide snacks, coffee, drinks, water etc. Employees basically show up and leave. Many also pick up their workers at their home every morning but frequently drive away without a passenger because they have slept in. Many times the new employee requires assistance to complete the documentation to be hired, many cannot use a measuring tape even though they claim to have graduated grade 10 or 12. There are many who work hard, show up, can read and write however experience has shown that many of these are in their 40’s and 50’s. Many have returned year after year to the same employer, some travel to where the project is in another community. The younger school graduates are more challenged with these simple tasks and do not have the endurance to stick with it throughout the entire project. You do not have to believe a word of this but ask those who really try to hire locally and see what they have experienced.
The workers in their 40s and 50s that have work ethic grew up when Nunavut was the NWT. They would go to high school in Yellowknife or Rankin and were much more disciplined than today’s entitled TikTok generation.
Or they may not have gone to school at all, but got their work ethic from their hunter/gatherer parents.