Chaired jointly in 2006-2007 by:
1. Saskatchewan Northern Affairs for the provincial government
2. Athabasca Economic Development and Training Corporation representing Aboriginal training and economic development agencies
3. Northlands College , Western Region, represented training agencies/industry, replacing AREVA Resources for a two year term commencing in November.

Attended by
Decision-makers in training, planning, and economic development including representatives from federal and provincial governments, school divisions, training institutions, training funders, economic development agencies, local and Aboriginal authorities, and private industry.

1. Education and Training Initiatives

• Northlands College completed its annual program planning meetings with communities in the central, northeast, and northwest areas and will meet with Athabasca communities in November. The planning process also depends on information from sector-based NLMC subcommittees, funding agencies, and other delivery agencies. The College will have a calendar out by February. The program planning meetings have shown these to be the training priorities: basic education/literacy; mining, mineral exploration (including diamond driller), and oil sands programs; apprenticeship in carpentry, electrical, pipefitting, welding, and industrial mechanic; health care related training such as practical nurse, registered nurse, continuing care assistant, addiction counseling, and emergency responders; and heavy equipment operators.

• The Saskatchewan Research Network ( SRnet ) will be launched on November 17 for the new connections at Northlands College and NORTEP . Srnet will link northern Saskatchewan by a very high-speed network to research and education around the world .

• Skills Canada is a national not-for-profit organization that actively promotes careers in skilled trades and technologies to Canadian youth. Skills Canada Saskatchewan branch will host the provincial and the national skilled trades competitions for students and apprentices in Saskatoon in 2007. The provincial event will draw about 300 competitors, 400 volunteers and judges, and about 2,000 spectators. The deadline for winners of regional competitions to apply to the provincial event is April 2007. The national event will have 500 competitors and over 1,000 technical people and volunteers. The 2006 Cardboard Boat Challenge is underway on November 8 in Prince Albert . The event, part of the new provincial curriculum for Grade 8 Practical and Applied Arts, allows students to have fun while learning leadership and teamwork skills.

• Keewatin Career Development Corp. ( KCDC) will pilot a series for schools in Saskatchewan and Alberta called Breaking Barriers that allows students in a classroom to interact with a presenter by broadband video conferencing. The Breaking Barriers Series will run from January until May 2007. The series encompasses five modules - Careers, Role Models, Math/science Tutor Network, and student talent Expression. About $200,000 is needed in sponsorship funding to make the series work. In return, sponsors gain wider exposure to their products and services and make connections to the future workforce.

• AREVA and Cameco annually award the Athabasca school awards to students in the Athabasca region enrolled in grades 7 to 12. This year, the companies hosted community events, combining student awards, employee recognition awards, and information sessions on mining news.

2. Subcommittees' Training and Employment Work plans

• The Northern Apprenticeship Committee (NAC) and the Economic Development Council held a workshop in Fort McMurray to look at trades opportunities and initiatives in the area. The key message was the success of school projects that promote trades careers to young people. NAC plans to lobby for similar school programs in Saskatchewan . NAC received approval for funding for Phase 2 of the Wage Subsidy to support 12 apprentices. The program will be advertised soon to employers across the north. The problem of finding long-term funding for NAC staff continues. NAC's successes include assisting 79 apprentices to journeyperson status since January 2000. This year to date, NAC indentured 69 new apprentices and assisted 63 apprentices in training. At the urging of NAC, NLMC will work to facilitate the formation of a task force that would identify barriers to apprenticeship training and trades employment in northern Saskatchewan , develop an action plan to address the barriers, and establish a pool of resources to implement the action plan.

  
  
  
• The Oil Sands Subcommittee manages the federal/provincial funded Job Horizons employment referral project to link northern Saskatchewan residents to employment opportunities in the oil sands sector. Job Horizons placed 550 people in jobs so far, with 182 of those placements taking place just this year. The subcommittee is preparing proposals for funding beyond March 2007. The oil sands industry around Fort McMurray continues to expand with projected construction costs of $84B within the next 10 to 15 years. Oilsands Quest will set up an exploration camp north of La Loche for about 130 workers and undertake a drill program this winter to assess the extent and size of oil sands on Saskatchewan 's side of the border. Scheduled flights from Saskatchewan to Fort McMurray now make it easier for our residents to return home after their work shift. Northlands College manages the two-year Bridges to Employment training component, which began in 2005 with funding from Northern Development Agreement. Based on skill needs projections undertaken by industries in the Fort McMurray area and training needs identified by northwest Saskatchewan communities, these programs will be delivered in 2006-7: camp attendant, oil fields safety, power engineer 4, construction labourer at Ile a la Crosse school/hospital, pre-employment electrician, heavy equipment mechanic, and steamfitter/plumber.
  

   

• The Forestry Training Subcommittee is planning for the next phase of the Forestry Training Plan partnership, which would reflect recent changes in the industry.

   

• The Health Sector Training Committee, formed last year with membership from northern health districts, Prince Albert Grand Council (PAGC), Meadow Lake Tribal Council (MLTC), and other agencies, prepared human resource needs for the next 5 years for the health districts and their contractors. The Committee is now developing a training plan for the short-term of 2007-8, which will include a one-year Health Access program that exposes students to health care jobs while they earn course prerequisites. An on-line upgrading program is underway for Peter Ballantyne Cree Nation's Licensed Practical Nurses. Other priority training needs include registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, continuing care assistant, addictions counselor, environmental service technician, food service technician, and first responder. The committee is considering forming a multi-party training plan with partners making financial commitments towards the cost of training.

   

• The Youth Working Circle of the Northern Human Services Partnership (NHSP) is working on a proposal to provincial and federal representatives to establish a Northern Saskatchewan Youth Council that would be an umbrella organization for community youth groups to share information and coordinate youth initiatives. Council representatives will be selected from each northern area by August 2007.

   

• The Economic Development Subcommittee is planning an Economic Development Conference in La Ronge in February. The intent of the conference is to identify issues that hinder expansion in four major northern sectors: tourism, oil and gas, forestry, and mining. The outcome will be an action plan to overcome issues and maximize northern ownership and employment.

   

• The Mineral Sector Steering Committee identified a variety of training to be delivered under the Multi-Party Training Plan (MPTP) for 2006-7. The 2-year Mine Engineering Technology program, brokered from the Northern College in Haileybury , Ontario , is underway. The first year of the 2-year Chemical Technology program has begun in La Ronge. Level I and 2 Electrical and Industrial Mechanic apprenticeship is underway in the Mobile Training Lab located at Cigar Lake mine. The scheduling of Underground Mining training has been affected by the flooding at Cigar Lake . The college is selecting applicants for the Diamond Driller helper program that begins next week. The Exploration Technician program can be delivered in a variety of combinations of modules including line cutting, computer applications, survival safety, GPS, and mapping.