Northern College and the Hamlet of Arviat, Nunavut, are celebrating the successful completion of the second delivery of the Arviat Welding Trade Readiness program. The program was delivered through a partnership between the college and the hamlet, with support from the Kivalliq Mine Training Society, Agnico-Eagle Mines, Ltd., and the Government of Nunavut.
Six students completed the latest delivery of the program, which is designed to prepare students for work in Nunavut’s construction and mining industries. They will join seven graduates from the first delivery of the program who have already entered the workforce.
The students were guided on-site by Northern College instructor Dennis Fordyce. As part of their training, the students created approximately 20 bear-resistant garbage bins to be used in their community.
“The Arviat Welding Trade Readiness program is a shining example of how colleges and remote communities can work together to provide new opportunities for local people,” college president Fred Gibbons said in a news release. “These graduates are now well-equipped to take advantage of significant job opportunities in local industry, which will benefit not only the graduates, but their community and employers as well.”
The Arviat Welding Trade Readiness program was developed in direct response to the demand for welding helpers for a variety of projects in Nunavut, including Agnico-Eagle’s currently operating Meadowbank Gold Mine and Meliadine advanced-stage gold project. The Hamlet of Arviat hopes that graduates of this program will have long and successful careers in the resource and construction industries, and will continue to develop their skills through further training and experience.
Northern College has worked with the Arviat Training Initiative Advisory Group, and has helped to develop training activities in line with the needs of Nunavut’s growing mining industry. The college has also assisted the hamlet in establishing the welding lab where the Welding Trade Readiness program took place.
