Thank you, Mr. Speaker. It’s graduation season and many students are preparing to move onto the next phase of life. They will be entering into the workforce. Who will hire them and where should they apply?
This year in our Sahtu communities there will be 22 high school graduates and nine Aurora College graduates. All these graduates have one thing in common, it is the commitment, the commitment to start something and finish it. As the government, we need to show our students our commitment and our support for their achievement.
We have an aging workforce in the GNWT. The 2009 Public Service Annual Report tells us that 25 percent of the employees are expected to retire in the next 10 years. That translates to nearly 1,200 employees who will need to be replaced.
We have increased the graduation rates. We have made improvements to boost our education attendees. We have had regional education forums and heard from our own people about getting good academic education. So let’s support our students with a job this summer. The ones who graduate from Aurora College, let’s put them in a position to begin a career in line with their training. For the high school graduates, let’s reward them with jobs so that they can have money for colleges or universities next year.
Mr. Speaker, we have to show our students that it pays to get an education, and that if you are making a commitment, it means something. We need to instil the value of good, honest work. These students deserve the best from us and this government.
Mr. Speaker, our students are entering into the workforce. I trust it will not be as scary as they think it will be because they will know we are with them. We are the leaders. Let’s show our leadership today. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
