Masi, Mr. Speaker. [Translation] When students go for training, how can we work with them? I'd like to ask the Minister of Education regarding this question about training. [Translation ends] How do we celebrate those who are successful in their programs? Masi, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Member for Monfwi. Minister of Education, Culture and Employment.
Thank you, Mr. Speaker, and I want to thank my colleague for the question. I would also like to congratulate, myself, Ms. Doreen Arrowmaker for her achievement of achieving a master's degree. You know, with this portfolio, that's the goal, to get our residents educated.
The Member brings up a good point: are we keeping track of who is educated? If we don't know, how do we bring them back here? We do know what programs our residents are taking, if they are receiving SFA. We know what institutions they are attending. Outside of that, we don't have that ability. If someone just goes off to school, there is no way of knowing. However, we do try to attract our students back, as well, with our SFA. We have great loan repayment incentives, zero percent interest on loans and increased remission rates, and a northern bonus, as well. So, while we're not where I think the Member would like us to be, we're getting there. It's somewhere that I want to get to because, when I was on that side, I was asking the same question. People are going out and getting educated; 80 percent of the jobs, almost, by 2030 are going to need a post-secondary education, so how do we get those residents? This is something I'm working on, I'm committed to working on, and I look forward to working with the Member on this.
[Translation] A lot of students are going to school. Do they have any problems accessing programs? Maybe that information should be more available to people. [Translation ends]
What kind of statistics does the department have on the success of our northern Indigenous students at post-secondary? The reason I'm asking that is we need to somehow track these students so we can attract them back to the Northwest Territories. It's something that has been a real challenge over the years, and I believe that this is an area that we need to tackle as a department.
I don't have those numbers at my fingertips. I can say that Aurora College, however, has recently implemented a new student information system that can track that type of information, and finally in the North we have that capability. It was a long time that we weren't able to do that at the college, and so, in the last two years, we've achieved that. The department has actually come a long way in terms of the statistics that it collects and the information that it has to analyze, and so I think that we're moving in that direction. Unfortunately, I don't have those numbers on me right now. My department might not like me making work for them, but I commit to getting that information for the Member.
Masi for the commitment. You are a good Minister so far, to start. Good answer. Mr. Speaker, [translation] when students go to college, we want everything readily available for them and we also want them to return to work in our communities, so how many of them are in college? I am asking the Minister of Education. [Translation ends] I am going to reach out to the post-secondary students to provide them opportunities, such as jobs, internships, on-the-job training, and most especially in the small isolated communities that my colleagues over the years have demanded, even in, still, the small communities, create opportunities for these students to return to their home communities for their education, so what have we done as a department to date on this particular area?
I know there is an internship program that the GNWT had through the Department of Finance, I believe, but the Member is right. We need to do more, I think.
One of the first things I talked about when I got this portfolio was the need to be better communicators and do a better job promoting education and promoting the North as a place to come back to. We need to reach out to our students. We do that through Student Financial Assistance. They have a great advertising program. When I was in school, I always knew when my payments were supposed to come and when my application was supposed to be in, and we need to extend that. We need to let people know our students who are away know that there is work for them back here. The Northwest Territories is still the land of opportunity. You know, that is why I came back. I have said in this House many times that, when I was in law school, that would have been an opportune time for the GNWT to reach out to me and talk about some of the opportunities that there are in the North. That is one thing I am working on, and I look forward to making that happen.
[Translation] The students that are going to school, let's try to help them as much as we can, and that is what you are trying to do, which I am thankful for. When students go to college, we want them to return into our community and have jobs available for them. [Translation ends]
The Minister of Education, Culture and Employment, he and I think a lot alike, which is great. I would like to ask my last question. He may not have the stats today, but I would like to get that information from him: how many students did we hire last summer in their fields of studies, either graduates or in existing programs? That information will be valuable for the Members across the floor here to work with a Minister at the appropriate time.
I believe we hired around 300 summer students in the GNWT, but I am not sure how many are in their actual field of study. I think the Department of Justice hired all the law students from the Northwest Territories last year, actually, though. You know, we are making some progress, and I look forward to making more, but, you know, these are all good points, and I will continue to advance this. Thank you, Mr. Speaker.
Thank you, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment. Oral questions. Member for Thebacha.
