New centre to expand access to workforce training in Kangirsuk
$5.1M facility includes classroom, council chamber, conference room and studio apartments
People in Kangirsuk attend the opening ceremony of the community’s new training centre on Aug. 18. Standing at the front of the room are Kativik Regional Government representative Minnie Annahatak, left, Sanajiit project co-ordinator Daniel Pettigrew, FCNQ project manager Melissa Briand, and Kativik Regional Director director of sustainable employment Lydia Watt. (Photo courtesy of Kativik Regional Government)
A new multi-use training centre in Kangirsuk is expected to give workers and organizations across the Ungava Coast more access to training facilities while helping to develop Nunavik’s construction workforce.
The Kativik Regional Government’s Sustainable Employment Department officially opened the centre Aug. 18 in partnership with FCNQ Construction.
People will have access to various training opportunities at the centre, said department director Lydia Watt in an interview.
“It will benefit the community and the region,” she said.
This is the second such facility established in Nunavik, following the opening of a multi-use training centre in Puvirnituq in 2025. A third is planned for Ivujivik in 2027.
The Kangirsuk centre includes a training space, a multi-function classroom, a council chamber, a conference room and studio apartments for visitors, said a news release published Aug. 19 by Kativik Regional Government.
The lodging component is particularly important in Nunavik, where finding suitable accommodation for trainers and participants can make it difficult to organize programs, Watt said.
The centre is also part of the regional government’s broader effort to strengthen the local construction workforce.
The building was developed as a Sanajiit Project, an initiative to provide work placements and training for Nunavimmiut in the construction trades. Nine apprentices helped build the Kangirsuk centre, the release said.
FCNQ Construction supervised the project and provided mentors and support for workers registered with the Quebec Construction Commission, said Watt.
The partnership also includes the local co-op, which owns and maintains the building.
The centres are also being developed as a regional network. The Puvirnituq facility serves communities on the Hudson Bay side, while Kangirsuk will provide training location for communities along Ungava Bay.
Kangirsuk was selected in part because the community did not already have a comparable adult training facility, Watt said.
The project cost $5.1 million, which included federal and provincial funding.
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