Statements in Debates
I agree with the Member that we do need to do a better job of making sure that Aurora College is accountable, not only to the department. It is public dollars that we are investing into Aurora College, so they can provide the programs as well as the services to meet the educational needs of our residents, our young adults, so that they can get into the career force and be part of society and working in their communities, hopefully.
We are working on developing an accountability framework currently with Aurora College, but we have also set up more scheduled meetings with the board of governors...
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Yes, as I mentioned, we are going to be working with the departments to identify community projects and initiatives as well as working with our Aboriginal governments, municipal governments, organizations in the small communities that might look at developing small project, so we can put this money to use, so we can get our residents the skills that they need to enter the workforce, the labour market, and help develop the skills and the training they need so that they can seek work throughout the Northwest Territories.
We have already started beginning that work on that Small Community Employment Program. We have started a review of the guidelines itself. We want to have a goal, moving forward, of ensuring that the program is accessible, flexible, and is best positioned to support businesses and residents who live in small communities. We are hoping that funding will start flowing once this budget is passed, April 1, 2017. We do expect to have a strategy hopefully by the fall of 2017.
Some of the reductions are focused on the enrolment rates that we get. We do see a decrease in some areas. Some of that was also reflective of our education renewal initiatives, as well. Thank you.
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and there are no additional resources. We believe that we have a strong division in the Immigration Division that is able to address the increase in numbers that we are seeing. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. We looked at the history of the enrolment rates in the two programs, then we also looked at the graduation rates in the two programs as well. Over the last three years with the social work program we are graduating on average four graduates every year, and as I mentioned this year we are expecting to have three graduates come out of that program. With the Teacher Education Program, although the enrolment rates averaged decently, we were still only getting seven graduates out of the TEP program. We continue to support our students who want to go and seek education outside...
Thank you, Mr. Chair, and we do hear the concerns of the Members and wanting to have a job creation fund. This program specifically is to give our residents in some of our smallest communities the skills that they need, the training that they need, and some of the education that they need so that they can go and seek employment within the North. We do hear all the feedback as we are developing a strategy, because we have done a big increase and it is a good news story; $3 million going into the small communities is a good news story.
We have got to promote the program a lot better. We need all...
I don't have that specific information with me right now, but we can get that information, how many of our students who are Aboriginal attending education programs down south, and share it with the Member.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. With junior kindergarten rolling out, we'll continue to monitor and evaluate how things are going. Right now we have it in 20 schools and our superintendents are saying that the funding is adequate enough to meet the needs of the students who are entering junior kindergarten right now, and if you look at the line item, we still fund inclusive schooling over $25 million across the Territories. Thank you, Mr. Chair.
Thank you, Mr. Chair. That was my mistake. It is just over $2 million. Thank you.