Thank you, Mr. Speaker. The standards will be set according to the type of work and training that the individual will enter into. There will be definite levels for different occupations. There will be, no doubt, pre-employment training. There will be employment training, apprenticeship training and so forth. So the standards will have to be set according to those particular occupations that are identified.

Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Part of the renewable resource strategy is to get the resources to implement programs for training and human resource development. That has yet to be designed. Initially, the attempt has been to identify where the need is. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Supplementary, Mr. McLeod.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am aware that there are several institutions in the south that can provide oil and gas training. Can the Minister inform this Assembly whether an individual from the Northwest Territories can access such a program using student financial assistance or apprenticeship training?

Thank you, Mr. McLeod. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I believe if they are taking an accredited program and the program is 12 weeks in duration and it is a recognized institution, then, yes, they can access funding through student financial assistance. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Item 6, oral questions. The Member for Inuvik Boot Lakes, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, we have heard it said that these are exciting times in the Northwest Territories. We have diamond development and the enormous potential for oil and gas. Prospects on it are that we will become a "have" territory. It is only fair that the people that are in the area of the development should get first crack at the jobs that arise from the development of those resources. We know, especially in the area of oil and gas that is coming up, there is a need for qualified tradespersons, and that need will come up very quickly here.

We know that if we are going to do something, we have to take advantage of it right away, Mr. Speaker, not in three years or later, because at that time it will be too late.

With that, Mr. Speaker, I have a question for the Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, seeing that they have lapsed over the last three years, $935,000. I think a lot of this lapse is due to the literacy rates because you need to have a good education to be able to do the course work that is involved in a lot of the apprenticeships.

Can the Minister inform me if he is aware of the number of people who have applied for apprenticeships and those that have been turned down, and the reason for them being turned down? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. It is a longer question and it sounds like there are two parts to it. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

I do not have the answer to the question of how many people and the reasons they were turned down, Mr. Speaker. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Supplementary, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Well can the Minister provide information to me, and to this House of the number of people who have applied for apprenticeships and have been turned down and having those numbers based on the lack of having proper education levels? Will you provide that? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, if the information is available, I will certainly make that information available to the Member. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Supplementary, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Can the Minister, while he is getting that information, find out, or maybe he has that information now, what is the cost, to this government for one apprentice per year? Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. The honourable Minister responsible for Education, Culture and Employment, Mr. Ootes.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Again, I do not have that information, which I will get for the Member. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Ootes. Final supplementary, Mr. Roland.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. While the Minister is collecting that information, maybe you can also add to that information the number of apprenticeships that have been created since the government has gotten out of apprenticeships. Thank you.

Thank you, Mr. Roland. I think that would have been better as a written question. I think that maybe the Minister will provide that in a written form. It is a difficult question, I could not understand exactly what it was, but Mr. Ootes, you may answer that if you wish.