Okay, thank you. I will go back to the Member from Great Slave.
Thanks, Mr. Chair. Nothing else for me.
Okay, thank you. Is there any further questions from Members? I will go to the Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Sorry, this is a similar question the Member from Great Slave asked, but I am noting that currently, as the schedule lays it out, the polytechnic is now set to launch in 2027 but the schedule seems to be showing that legislation for the polytechnic wouldn't be complete until 2028. Can the Minister help us understand that alignment better?
Thank you. I will go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, as I explained before we needed to ensure -- or need to ensure that the CAQC process with Aurora College is completed before we have a piece of legislation that's enacted to ensure that we are incorporating anything that is -- that comes out of that process into the legislation. So education, culture and employment is working on the content of that legislation parallel to the CAQC process unfolding with Aurora College, and it is the intention to, as soon as we can, parallel to that process, bring forward a bill -- well, first a legislative proposal, Mr. Chair, and then a bill to this House. And so it is earmarked in the 2027-2028 year so that it aligns with the end of this Assembly and what, in theory, was predicted to be the timeline of the CAQC process. But we don't have control over that process, so we're ensuring that we are as prepared as we can be on our side, and we're working closely with the president and chair of Aurora College at the same time. Thank you.
Thank you. I will go back to the Member for Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Is there any reason to think that CAQC process could end earlier than expected? Thank you.
Thank you. I will go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, certainly there are some positive indications coming out of where that process is so far. I understand that Aurora College intends to share some of that process in the spring this year, and that will give us an indication of what those timelines will look like. Thank you.
Thank you. I will go to the Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. And so can the Minister just help us understand -- I mean, let's say the college gets that done sooner than we expected, you know, do we have a piece of legislation that's ready to get the Polytechnic Act in place as soon as possible once the college is ready to make that transition? Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I will go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So we don't have a piece of legislation that is sitting on a shelf, per se, ready to go. There has been work done in the background as far as what pieces of existing legislation would need to be imported into new legislation, so what parts of the Aurora College Act would still stand. And in addition, Mr. Chair, there's work that's been done to look at the pieces of legislation from other jurisdictions across the Canada -- or -- across Canada -- my goodness -- across Canada, for example, in the Yukon, to make sure that we're looking at other lessons learned and other examples as well. And so work is still happening in the background, but we still need to make sure that we're working collaboratively with Aurora College in doing that. So working as quickly as possible, but we don't want to get ahead of anything here given that some of the results of the work that are being done could have an impact on what needs to be in that legislation. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I will go to the Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I wanted to turn to the Skills 4 Success program. I know that program's concluded now. But can the Minister speak to what has been done for next steps towards the success or strategy or an action plan for workforce development? Are there any metrics, successes, or lessons learned from the Skills 4 Success program that can be shared with committee? Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I will go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So I will start, and then I will pass to the deputy minister.
So to start off, we've got some other engagement that is underway in the 2026 year, which is the engagement that is as a result of the redefining what adult education will look like in communities across the Northwest Territories. And so as part of that work is a great opportunity to really outline what is next steps and what is our action plan coming out of that. As far as looking back on Skills 4 Success, I'd like to pass to the deputy minister, please.
Thank you. I will go to the deputy minister.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I don't have a whole lot more to add to that. As I think the Members are aware, we're in a phase of the growth of the Northwest Territories that is going to require different approaches. So we're, you know, taking the time to do some introspection and looking at what the suite of programs is that we offer and how they can be made to better serve to, you know, create success in our citizens. And that includes everything from apprenticeships to literacy aspects. It's all of it together. So as far as a successor program that's going to be called Skills to Success 2, no, we're not working on that right now, but we are considering the whole -- holistically the full scope of our programming. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I will go back to the Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I really appreciate that. Building upon that subject, can more information be provided as to how the department is supporting the mining workforce as mines begin to close? I know we've gotten some pretty difficult news recently, and I am just curious how we're reacting to that. What training is being offered, how are employees being engaged, how are we helping to coordinate work that's happening around the NWT that they might be able to move into? I know that, you know, when I've met with the folks who are running the Giant Mine project, for example, they've noted that they have a hard time attracting northern employment, and their northern employment numbers are similar to the mine. So there's certainly jobs available here. I am curious to hear what work ECE is doing to help line people up with that work. Thank you.
Thank you. I will go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I'd say it's kind of in three big buckets, so to speak. So there is the work being done first on aligning people with new opportunities within similar workforces. So for example, participating actively in career fairs and making sure that we're bringing together, as best as we can, other opportunities. So a great example is working directly with Diavik, for example, and their career fairs that they did have.
The second bucket that I would draw the Member's attention to is the workforce development training. So if people are wanting to leave the career that they're in right now and train for a new one, making sure that they're aligned with both training opportunities, whether it's in trades or through student financial assistance, but then also through their employers. So we've got a suite of workforce development program funding where employers can access dollars for jobs that they want to be able to transition their staff members into or if they, as an employer, are looking to transition maybe from diamond mining to, for example, Giant Mine. And then the third bucket of that would be for people who are wanting to branch out on their own, maybe step away from both mining and working for other people and really start their own entrepreneurship. And so there's a suite of programs also through industry, tourism and investment, and also Prosper NWT, that people have access to, some in the form of grants and some in the form of loans. So those kind of three buckets have been our key focuses. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I will go back to the Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I just wanted to note that with the closure of CLCs that was announced by Aurora College last year, and the business plan notes that some of the laddering programs that lead to further education has shifted. Can the Minister provide more details on these shifts that are being referred to here and maybe in a wider sense, has a longer-term vision for adult education been developed for the NWT? Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I will go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, laddering programs are programs where someone can start off in one and it opens the door and provides kind of that step up into another potential level of certification so that somebody who may start off, for example, in a certificate program has a clear path forward into a diploma degree and so forth. And so it allows people to start off with smaller steps and bite-sized pieces, if you will, and to see if it's something that they enjoy doing before they want to go on to that next step.
Another example of laddering, for example, is the diploma in nursing, and then people sometimes going on into the registered nursing program from there.
As far as what is the overall plan for adult education in the Northwest Territories, that is what we are working on by engaging with Indigenous governments and communities over the course of 2026 to make sure that we are working closely with our education partners and communities and understanding what it is that people want so that we are not unilaterally making decisions without that being based on experience and knowledge and desires coming from communities across territory. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. Is there any further questions from Members? I will go back to the Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Appreciate it if there is the time for it.
Mr. Chair, I just wanted to continue the line of questioning I had going on the laddering programs and just thinking about adult education. And I just know, you know, when I've met with the president of Dechinta University, she's spoken passionately about the work that Dechinta could do throughout our communities, which would help bridge students into Aurora College.
And to give a bit of context about what I was asking about, I mean, when I started meeting with Dechinta, it was talking about, you know, would you want to grow into being, you know, the university in the NWT, and they were clear with me that that wasn't their vision, that they feel that there's a place for Aurora College to be or the Aurora university, or whatever we end up calling it, kind of the anchor post-secondary institution in the NWT. But the work that Dechinta could do is develop Indigenous-oriented programming which would employ elders and various different community members the way they have been doing with the small amount of funding they're getting and that they could grow that significantly with more core funding, and they could be working in many of the communities in the NWT, employing elders, and helping to build that knowledge economy that I've spoken about so much and, you know, building up the kind of employment and the research capacity and the various different things that come along with that that we've been seeing start to succeed in other jurisdictions.
So I am curious if the Minister has met with Dechinta and spoken about that possibility and whether that kind of vision could be something that could come out of our need to develop a new vision for adult education in the NWT. I am just throwing it out there that it is a possibility that's already been considered by an institution that's having success here and so would strongly encourage the Minister to look into that. So I am curious to hear what she has to say. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I will go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, I am, as the Member said, a big fan of Dechinta's work and continue to be. I have had the opportunity to meet with them in the past, as have staff from education, culture and employment, and still meet with them routinely throughout the year.
In addition to that, education, culture and employment continues to fund Dechinta and certainly see them as a key education partner in the Northwest Territories and also happy to make them part of the conversation with engagements that will be happening for adult learning this year. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I will go back to the Member from Frame Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. I think I will let my questions sit for now and just start to go through the budget itself. Thank you.
All right. Thank you. I will go to the Member from the Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. My question is more on the planning for the emerging industries that are coming. So when we sit back and we look at what is coming, for example the defence spending that's coming to this community and the community of Inuvik, so I think we should survey what the market demands are going to be for skills training for those -- let's use those two projects for example, and then you also got your -- part of your succession planning, the emerging projects and reclamation economy. And I know this government has an Esso reclamation cleanup committee, but we don't hear any reports coming out of that committee that would give us confidence that we are preparing for that demand. So I really think is -- in recognition of this, and also it really was disturbing for me there when I did my road trip here last week there, the aging truck drivers that are supplying resupply to all these communities, and they're nearing retirement, so that just encourages a demand. So is the Minister and the department working on updating the Skills 4 Success and the demand from these emerging industries. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you. I will go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, certainly this is top of mind for the government as a whole, and whether it is Imperial and remediation work or it is, as the Member mentioned, potential for defence spending, the government and myself, as well in meetings that I am having, am pursuing timelines and workforce needs so that I can both share that with communities, ensuring I am sharing it with community education advisors, ensuring I am meeting with community leadership, and as well making sure that our education partners have that information as well from a post-secondary institution standpoint. And those timelines and workforce development plans are critically important to being able to action everybody, to being able to say okay, let's go. And so I am certainly working on that. I know the department is working on it. I know that the entire Cabinet is live to it. And this is something that we are pursuing purposefully. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I will go to the Member from the Sahtu.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Thanks to the Minister for that reply.
My next question: Will the Minister incorporate this into the business plan for the remaining term of this Assembly for the simple fact that we just heard about the Esso closure announcement and the next phase is going to be reclamation? And the same thing with the DND airport expansion, we just heard about that. So those emerging demands for employment and training and skills should be incorporated in our plan. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I will go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I agree that it's important to make sure that we are transparent and that we are reporting on what we can. As far as, you know, what those items will exactly be that can be reported in real time in the business plan, I'd have to come back to the Member. As all of this stuff kind of comes together on the back end, we're very much in real time here. But certainly happy to make sure that I am asking those questions about what can be incorporated and how we can ensure that we are transparently reporting on our successes as well. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I will go to the Member from the Sahtu.
Nothing further, Mr. Chair. Thank you very much.
Okay, thank you. I will go to the Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. Mr. Chair, has the department engaged with any of the post-secondary institutions on developing micro-credentials, micro-credential accreditation, for post-secondary offerings from private colleges? Thank you.
Thank you. I will go to the Minister.
Thank you very much, Mr. Chair. So, Mr. Chair, there are some post-secondary institutions in the Northwest Territories that are pursuing micro-credentialing and that are looking at different kinds of micro-clusters for business that are happening in different regions and are also tapping into what leadership in different regions are wanting to see as micro-clusters for those businesses and pursuing plans of how they can work together on those. So yes. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. I will go to the Member from Range Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. That's good. My understanding is this will require some legislative and policy change -- or let's just say policy change that may include legislation, regulatory or accreditation bodies. So are we -- what work does the department have to do to ensure micro-credentials are available as course offerings by these colleges? Thank you.
