R.J. Simpson

Thank you. So as part of the transformation of Aurora College, we are trying to expand access to training and education. A lot of those issues that the Members are talking about are, you know, issues that need to be addressed before someone really moves into the academic part of apprenticeships. As Mr. Saturnino mentioned, there are some new programs as well to help apprentices get the skills they need to make their way through the program. And from what I've heard directly from the people who have been engaged in those, they've been very, very valuable. So I encourage anyone who might be...

Thank you, Madam Chair. So I'll address a few things here.

So the relationship with the college board will be between the Minister and the chair, as the Member stated. The college is actually going to be more autonomous than education bodies so it's a bit of a different relationship, but that's how it will work.

We are looking at a new program, or exploring the possibility of a new program, to work with adults, you know, who they've gone through the JK to 12 system and maybe they don't have the skills that they need to move on to trades or postsecondary. And that is a that's a group a segment...

Thank you. It's not quite fully subscribed but it's not like there's no uptake at all. So we are getting close to the maximum there. Thank you.

Thank you. And as everyone's aware, over the past few years it's become very evident that, you know, the labour shortage that they've warned us about for years with Baby Boomers retiring, it's happening now. And we can no longer just continue doing the things the way we've done it for decades, really, because the market has changed so significantly. So we are looking at collecting data, looking at labour market trends, looking at demographics, so we can be creative, so we can get a handle on the situation and how we might be able to address it, so. Thank you.

Thank you. I'll hand it to Mr. Saturnino.

Thank you. And we're always happy to move to multiyear funding agreements whenever we can. I understand the Member's concerns. I know that NGOs don't have the bridge funding that governments have. The federal funding received by Skills Canada is a little less volatile than some of the other pots, but I'm sure there are instances where they run into issues. We're always happy to meet with Skills Canada if they you know, if they have a proposal, if they want to request more funds, I mean we can have those discussions, so I'm definitely always open to that. Thank you.

Thank you. So we haven't been expending all of those funds and so what we've actually done, in the last fiscal year, was increase the amounts and increase the eligibility that increase the number of people who are eligible to receive funding. So we are taking steps to spend the money we have and if we need more money, you know, there's always opportunities to go back to the feds. So, again, these are great problems to have when we're running out of money to support apprentices and trades people. So if we get to that point then we will ensure that we have the funds to support them because it...

Thank you. So we have, as I stated earlier, career development officers in the different regions of the Northwest Territories, and they are attuned to what is happening in their regions. There are often if not formalized relationships at least informal relationships among the different organizations, so Indigenous governments, ECE, businesses. And so I can say that, yes, the department is aware and always open to working whichever way works best for everyone involved. Thank you.

Thank you. I sure hope so. We have been engaging extensively with the federal government. As I've stated, the Premier has spoken directly to the prime minister about the importance of this initiative and the need for federal support, and I've engaged with a number of my federal counterparts as well. So we are very hopeful. Thank you.

Thank you, Madam Chair. So with a new board of governors in place, they will be making those types of decisions along with the college administration. So I know that Members have been accustomed to asking those questions of the Minister but with the change in relationship and with the establishment of the board, things are going to operate differently now. So I can't comment on future decisions of the board. Thank you.