Mr. Speaker, there are a couple of different things that we do. One of the things that we do is the Graduate Internship Program. Since 2001, over 300 northern graduates have been supported through this Graduate Internship Program. We do market this program to students through a number of different ways. The GNWT Messenger, posters displayed in Yellowknife, through the Human Resources, direct e-mail blast from Student Financial Assistance, newspaper advertisement and Bear Facts. We have a budget of $1.3 million. We can support about 33 internships a year at $40,000 an internship. We also have summer student employment for returning students.
To date, this fiscal year, we have hired 197 students with 17 more job offers in the queue. Last year we supported 308 students. We expect to support around the same number again. I have had conversations with my ministerial colleagues, encouraging them to have their departments hire as many students as we can reasonably.
Through the Department of Health and Social Services and Maximizing Northern Employment, we have the Graduate Placement Program for nurses and social workers, and through Education, Culture and Employment, graduate placement for teachers. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.