Thank you, Mr. Speaker, good afternoon. We all want to make sure that northerners benefit from current high levels of mineral activity and particularly from the many mines that will be established in the future. This Government is very active in the area of training for jobs in the mining industry. I want to bring the Assembly up to date on some of the initiatives that are being undertaken.
Training programs must proceed in a coordinated manner and they must meet the needs of industry and northerners. During the summer, I established a Committee on the mining sector, to give me advice on how to improve the development and delivery of mine training. The Committee includes industry, government and Aboriginal representatives. The Committee has met regularly during the past several months and initiatives are proceeding in a number of areas. The Department of Education, Culture and Employment has invested $300,000 this year to support mine training programs delivered by the public colleges. Aurora College has developed a pre-employment mine training program, that has produced a number of successful graduates in several communities.
Mr. Speaker, 22 students successfully completed a six-week job-shadowing course sponsored by the Community Mobilization Group, in which the Department is a partner, along with the private sector and other Government departments. The Department assisted with funding for courses in Kugluktuk and Hay River which gave participants a better understanding of the job opportunities available and helped them build practical skills. The Department is sponsoring similar programs in Rae Lakes, N'dilo and Detah.
Small business management courses are being run in Rae, Rae Lakes, N'dilo and Detah to prepare people to set up their own businesses to provide services to the mining industry.
As well, the Department is co-operating with a number of partners to provide a pre-engineering technology program through Aurora College. Fifteen students are enroled and we anticipate that the graduates will have direct access to engineering programs at Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.
The Department is also working with several partners to deliver a 12-week heavy equipment operator program in Yellowknife for 10 people. The partnership includes the North Slave Metis Alliance, BHP Diamonds, RTL Robinson Enterprises, and Aurora College. The College has also developed a mill operator training course and prospector training.
Mr. Speaker, the NWT Apprenticeship Program continues to be an important means of preparing northern residents for jobs in the mining industry. Education, Culture and Employment is supporting PCL Construction in its work to identify and train apprentices at the BHP mine site.
To ensure northerners know about the variety of jobs and training opportunities in the mining industry, the Department has developed a booklet called "Jobs in Mining." It has been distributed to career centres, schools, adult education centres and college campuses. Aurora College has also developed a handbook that describes the college programs that will help prepare people for these jobs.
Mr. Speaker, growth in the mining industry will continue to translate into jobs for northerners. NWT residents are ready, willing and able to take those jobs. Because of this Government's initiatives, considerably more will be well-prepared in the very near future. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.