Inukjuak residents qualify as for construction jobs

Several residents of Inukjuak became the latest construction workers in Nunavik last week to complete training that’s meant to give them equal pay for doing the same work as their southern counterparts.

The lack of journeymen construction workers has been a perennial problem during the region’s short construction season, as employers claim they can’t hire more Inuit for higher-paying jobs, because Inuit aren’t trained for them.

As a result, many Inuit have been stuck with menial work, while professional workers are flown in from the South.

But now that’s changing. The Kativik School Board began training Nunavimmiut last month in construction safety, a move that allows them to register with Quebec’s provincial construction authority.

After that, workers can look forward to getting credit for their apprentice hours, and eventually getting higher-paying positions during the construction season.

The program, funded by the Kativik Regional Government, came after KRG representatives pledged to help at least 50 residents of Nunavik become journeyman plumbers, carpenters, electricians and heavy equipment operators by the year 2005. At the same time, KRG started pushing a subsidy program for prospective construction employers who hired Inuit.

There are currently no journeyman construction workers from Nunavik.

KRG staff expect to fund more training sessions in May, 2005.