Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Mr. Speaker, I have some questions for the Minister of Education on the funding to Aurora College. When the Minister and his department were involved in discussions with Aurora College about identifying reductions, was a discussion held about how the college could leverage additional funds from other sources, from thirdparty sources, to make up the reductions that our government was asking of them? Thank you.
Masi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. To my knowledge, we didn't ask them to look for thirdparty funding to offset the reductions. When we looked at these two programs, as I have said many times in this House, the department in collaboration with Aurora College did look at efficiencies.
We do give a big investment into these programs. The graduates that we weren't getting out of the program was an indicator. These two programs were both selected and brought forth to this government to have this debate on the program. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Perhaps, maybe, that is the point. Are we too involved with the daytoday operations of this college and providing strategic direction to them? As my honourable friend, the Member from Hay River North, pointed out in his statement earlier, issues with the success of the college are not new, and instead of helping them, we seem to have been turning away from that and are now offering them guidance on how to cut programs, not how to improve programs.
My question, Mr. Speaker, is: given that 66 per cent of the revenues of Aurora College are provided for by government and, in our neighbouring territory, the Yukon government only provides 49 per cent of revenues to their equivalent Yukon College, would the Minister be open to giving direction to Aurora College to establish its own fundraising foundation so it can bring in thirdparty resources to fund its programs and operations?
Yes, we do fund the majority of dollars to Aurora College to run their programs and services. This year alone, we have developed a schedule to have more meetings with the board as well as the president of Aurora College to have that open communication. We have given them mandate letters in terms of the work that we expect to see them do. We are currently working on an accountability framework with Aurora College. Obviously, we want to see how that money is being spent in the contributions that we do give to them.
In terms of thirdparty funding, we do have the Aurora Research Institute, where we do get funding from outside sources to come and do research in the North, but that can be a discussion that we have with the board of governors and the president moving forward. We are looking at new direction that the college is taking, and I think that is something we will have a talk with them about.
I am sure the Minister is well aware that we are all eagerly awaiting the strategic plan and the process that will come forward from this. Can the Minister advise how the college will be used to support the Skills 4 Success strategic plan?
It looks like we are cutting off two programs that have direct relation with that strategy, so are we going to fill our labour gap solely on the backs of southern institutions, or are we going to build some programs here in the North that work to support that plan?
A lot of these things were indicators in terms of reductions within the program. As mentioned in the honourable Member's statement, he was talking about the indemand jobs that we are going to see in the future. For K12 teachers by 2030, it is going to be 1,354 teachers in the K12 system. Currently, Aurora College graduates an average of seven. We continue to support our outofterritory students.
We have 33 right now down south. For degreed social workers, it is 158. Aurora College does not offer a degree program, but we do work with students who want to go and continue their education down south through our Student Financial Assistance Program. For current demand for social community service workers, that is 479. Aurora College currently graduates anywhere from four to five.
The Skills 4 Success document is a driving factor when we are looking at this new direction that Aurora College is doing. They understand that. It is something that we mandated them to look at, and we will continue to work with them on getting that direction so we have programs and services that will meet the needs of our indemand jobs in the North.
Masi. Oral questions. Member for Kam Lake.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I am pleased that the Minister has made it clear that our government is driving the strategic plan for Aurora College. I do think that is problematic. I think that we need to decide if it is going to be a thirdparty organization that can decide its own priorities or if we are going to decide its priorities for them. So, I am going to ask the Minister, just clearly: is he willing to put a hold on cutting funding to Aurora College so they can preserve these two existing programs until such time as the strategic plan has been completed and has been considered by this House? Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Historically, we have had low graduation rates out of these two programs in particular. The social work program, for the investment that we do put in, we are getting about four graduates that do come out. Then, with the TEP program, for the amount of money that we are putting into that program, we are averaging about seven graduates a year who come out of that program. We feel that investments should be looked at for other programs that will meet other indemand jobs, so we are going to continue with having these two programs in terms of reductions moving forward and working with Aurora College on that strategic plan that can redirect the work that they are doing so we do meet the indemand jobs for northern employers and within the public service, as well.
Oral questions. Member for Deh Cho.
