The NWT Literacy Council is thrilled to announce a pan-northern project that brings new skill-building opportunities to northerners.
We'll work with the Yukon Literacy Coalition and Ilitaqsiniq-Nunavut Literacy Council to embed literacy and essential skills in current and new training programs related to natural resources, tourism and the service industry.
Each literacy council will take the lead in one sector to develop relationships with government and business, design a course, and then roll it out as a pilot in all three territories. All in all, the project will deliver nine courses in nine northern communities.
We'll be responsible for the service industry. The Yukon will take the lead on tourism. Natural resources will be the responsibility of Ilitaqsiniq-Nunavut Literacy Council.
We have two main objectives.
- increase literacy and essential skills among Aboriginal youth and adults who are out of school, unemployed or underemployed in tourism, natural resources or service industry jobs
- increase the employability of out-of-school and unemployed northerners so they can take advantage of job opportunities and have more success
We aim to create efficient, effective courses that make the most of the strengths of each literacy council and our partners. The project brings literacy and essential skills where they are needed in the north and meets community needs and interests.
We hope this is the first of many more projects for the Northern Alliance for Literacy and Essential Skills (NALES). This project grew out of our shared information, expertise and knowledge since our successful 2012 gathering on skill development.
The NALES project builds on what the NWT Literacy Council does now with our training events, community workshops, and support for local literacy practitioners and learners. We bring people together to share their knowledge and skills. This new project, along with all our work, depends on partnerships with families, individuals, communities, government and others. A big thank you! We're grateful for the support of Employment and Social Development Canada for funding the NALES project.
-- Michael Corbett
