Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, further to my colleague's comment on economic development, Mr. Speaker, if we want our youth to contribute to the NWT economy, we need SFA to be proactive. With that in mind, can the Minister provide rationale as to why the student financial assistance regulations allow for programs or courses in the access programs at Aurora College to be considered post-secondary level but exclude bridging, preparatory, or transitional courses or programs which in mind serve the same purpose? Thank you.
Thank you, Member from Monfwi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I want to start by acknowledging the comments of the Member and let her know that I am looking into kind of where that differentiation is, and how we can be a lot more clear about this for residents.
So, Mr. Speaker, there are some transitional or bridging programs that students can qualify for -- or may qualify for funding for under the SFA program, and that's for ones that earn credit toward a certificate, diploma, degree. And so in that example that the Member gave during their statement, there are paramedic and medical -- or emergency medical training programs that are delivered through designated institutions leading to recognized credentials that are eligible for SFA. And I think that's the really key part, is that it has to be accredited and it has to be eligible for credentialing so that we can ensure that we're investing in programs people can take and take into the workplace. Thank you.
Okay, thank you. Okay, Mr. Speaker, how does the department plan to address the systemic barriers that prevent students like the 19-year-old Tlicho citizen from Behchoko accessing financial support for training that directly contribute to fulfilling critical workforce gaps in the territory? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, if a person is doing a training program that is less than 12 continuous weeks or is kind of more in tune with workforce development training, there are programs that are available through the labour side through workforce development. And so depending on what the program might be, there is that side of things. And there also is the student financial assistance that's really focused on certificates, diplomas, and the degree funding area. So we do have a whole breadth of programs that students can access. But the really key part about this is we want to ensure that at the end of the day students are ending up with credentials and certifications that they can carry from workplace to workplace to workplace. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Final supplementary. Member from Monfwi.
Thank you. What alternative supports or funding mechanism are currently available or being considered for students pursuing nontraditional or short-duration programs that lead to essential certification in fields like emergency response and health care? Thank you.
Thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. So, Mr. Speaker, in addition to the workforce development programs that I just spoke of that I would be very happy to provide the Member with. We also have upgrading programs directly in our high schools. There's the adult learning basic education that's now been taken online to make sure students in every community have access to it. That's through Aurora College. We also have alternative high schools in the territory where people can do modularized learning. I know the House has heard me speak about Phoenix School before. There's also Sunrise Institution up in the Sahtu. So there's multiple different examples across the territory of alternative learning environments for students. In addition to that, we'll also see some new programs come out of education, culture and employment in response to the closure of the community learning centres by Aurora College, and those are leading directly to the purpose of employment. Thank you.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member from Great Slave.
