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Hamlet workers to get on-the-job training

MTO plans community-based certificate program

SARA MINOGUE

Nunavut's Municipal Training Organization has unveiled plans for a new training program that will let municipal workers across Nunavut work towards a diploma from Arctic College by taking courses in their own communities.

The Municipal Government Certificate Program aims to train the entire management team of every municipality between September 2004 and March 2007.

"This certification would signify to an employer that the person has been very well trained in whatever field they chose," said Art Stewart, Senior Administrative Officer for Cape Dorset, and chair of the MTO board.

The Board of Governors for Nunavut Arctic College has approved the program, which will cost $4 to $4.5 million, and will deliver 230 individual courses over two and a half years.

The hamlet office in each town will close for one week on five separate occasions while the SAO, finance officer, office administrator, land administrator, community economic development officer, recreation leader and works foreman complete five core courses, each six days long.

The courses will have up to 15 seats for students, which means that up to eight community members could also take the core courses, leading to a Record of Achievement from Arctic College.

Municipal workers will then complete five specialty courses at regional training sessions, leading to a Municipal Government Certificate relating to their job. Those who complete the certificate could then earn a diploma in public administration, human resources or management studies from Arctic College.

There are few bilingual instructors available, so all courses will be taught in English, with English materials. Participants will be able to take exams orally in Inuktitut.

Chuck Gilhuly, the executive director for MTO, hopes that delivering courses to the whole management team at once will give students a chance to help one another.

Gilhuly already has a tentative training schedule mapped out and is working on the final approval of new course manuals.

"They're written. Now we're working with people to make sure they're good," Gilhuly told the Nunavut Association of Municipalities at their annual general meeting on May 2.

Training was identified as the top need when SAOs from across Nunavut met in 2002.

"Our focus at that time was getting people trained so that they could do their jobs properly," Stewart said. "What this certificate program will do is give them good training for their jobs and also offer accreditation. When they complete the program, they will have a certificate, and if they wanted to go on to further education, they could."

The MTO hopes that holding the courses in the communities will make it easier for participants to attend.

"The employers will already be making sacrifices letting the employees go to get the training so it kind of eases that pain."

The program will also offer some freedom to municipal employees.

"This also gives the person the flexibility to find employment elsewhere. For instance, if you wish to go down south, you would certainly have a better opportunity of getting employment," Stewart said.

"I don't think any of the courses are really geared towards SAOs, but I'm looking into taking some of those courses myself."

The MTO spent $2 million delivering 65 courses in 21 communities last year. The department of community government and transportation kicked in 70 per cent of the funding, while municipalities paid 10 per cent and third party sources made up the remaining 20 per cent.

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