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“Developing a Shared Agenda”

A Pre-symposium Paper prepared by

The Nunavut Working Group

For

Working Connections
”A Pan-Canadian Symposium on Career Development,

Lifelong Learning and Workforce Development”

Introduction:

Nunavut is Canada’s newest territory, covering approximately 20% of Canada’s land mass. There are 26 communities located as far north as Grise Fiord on Ellesmere Island, and as far south as Sanikiluaq in James Bay, as far west as Kugluktuk and Iqaluit in the East. It normally takes two days to travel from Iqaluit to Kugluktuk. The population of Nunavut is approximately 29,000, spread amongst the 26 communities, with 85% of this population being Inuit, with Inuktitut as their first language.

The success of Nunavut as Canada’s newest territory both from a social and economic perspective is absolutely tied to the ability of Nunavummiut to take an active role in the economic opportunities arising from workforce development, whether through decentralizationof government positions, the professional sector, as well as the growth ofconstruction, mining, the fishing industry or tourism. Historically, the labour market in Nunavut has reflected a situation in which most professional employment and skilled job opportunities have been taken by non-residents, or short-term residents. These individuals usually stay for a short period of time, and move on to other geographic areas within two to three years. As a result, knowledge and expertise depart with the individuals and the “corporate memory” is put at risk; there is leakage from the local economy as wages are frequently spent on purchase of goods and services from outside the local area or the territory, and without a long-term commitment, the housing market focuses on supporting transient workers, rather than the needs of local communities. Despite the increase in Inuit participation rates within senior government positions,Nunavummiut whether residing in communities or large centres continue to be too often relegated to low wage, service-oriented jobs.

The lack of participation of Nunavummiut in the workforce has not been for lack of interest, or even willingness to relocate throughout the territory for employment. The major barriers to participation have been issues associated with literacy (English and Inuktitut), lack of education, lack of recognized certification, and lack of opportunity, as many of the jobs have been classified to reflect southern labour market situations, in which qualifications far exceed the competencies required to do the jobs asa means to control labour supply and access to higher education.

There have also been questions about the nature and ability of the historic education system to prepare Nunavummiut to take an active role in the economy. Nunavut has had control of its education system only since 1999. Historically, there has been great variation in the nature and quality of programs which were offered across what was the Northwest Territories, whether it was offered by the territorial government or by other church or federal institutions.

The relationship between adult learning and the labour market is very clearly one in which Nunavummiut can acquire the knowledge and skills to become active participants in economic opportunitiesand self-determination goals as outline in the Nunavut Land Claim. To provide the necessary support, adult learning and career preparedness must cover areas ranging from literacy and upgrading or adult basic education, to specific certifiable courses and programs which will provide residents with knowledge and skills to move into higher or more specific skilled areas of the workforce.

The Government of Nunavut, through a consultative process, is currently developing an Adult Learning Strategy which links educational needs, career preparedness, and workforce development. In essence, many of the topics addressed in the development of the Nunavut Adult Learning Strategy (NALS) coincide closely to the topics to be covered at this symposium.

What will the NALS Address?:

The Learning Strategy, first and foremost, will be based on an agreed upon baseline from which to move forward. Without the baseline, any strategy simply becomes a document of shifting priorities, with no clear way to measure or evaluate its impact or success. This is particularly critical given that the accuracy and level of detail of much of the labour market information in Nunavut is suspect, and fragmented at best.

The Learning Strategy will not simply be a government document which outlines government initiatives. More importantly, the Strategy will be inclusive and represent the needs of Nunavummiut and its various industries and organizations. While an overarching framework will assist in providing for long-term planning and management, the success of any implementation will be based on local and regional delivery. In other words, the strategy should provide a framework, and list of strategic actions with which Nunavummiut identify, and which can focus funding priorities and subsequent programdevelopment. A strategy should provide the basis on which long-term priority setting and financing decisions can be made, identifying those that are most immediate and/or critical.

The time horizon for such a strategy is subject to some debate. There are those who believe that planning documents should tie to financial benchmarks such as capital planning programs, or electoral terms. However, to be realistic, and to establish goals and priorities which will have a long-term impact on the development of Nunavut, a planning horizon of 20 years has been used. A twenty year period provides for establishing a series of steps and integrated priorities, allowing time for the impact of decisions to become clearly evident. Such a period also corresponds to one generation of learners moving through the system, and will allow for the establishment of programs to deal with the results of the educational system inherited from the Northwest Territories.

In addition to the above, the following elements will be included in or as part of the development of the strategy:

  • Provide a long-term vision and direction for adult education and training in Nunavutthat is consistent with the goals of the Bathurst Mandate, particularly as they relate to workforce development,continuous learning, and career development services.
  • Identify policy or legislative changes that may be required to facilitate the achieving of goals.
  • Identify, where possible, systemic barriers preventing the engagement of adult learners or in the development and delivery of programs and services.
  • Put the needs of the adult learner and Nunavut first.
  • Clearly identify how the various stakeholder groups are being served.
  • Clearly identify the role of federal government programs, including those at HRDC, INAC, Health, etc. and how they can be coordinated to better serve the needs of Nunavummiut.
  • Clearly identify the leadership rolesof the Government of Nunavut,Department of Education and NunavutArcticCollege; clarify roles and possible responsibilities of stakeholders and partners (Industry, Regional Organization, etc.).
  • Link separate initiatives such as the development of Inuit Employment Plans, post-secondary educational programs, vocational programs, apprenticeship and trades, and College programs.
  • Restructure the delivery of adult learning and career counseling programs within the Government of Nunavut to be more effective and efficient.
  • Where possible, cost out what is required to make options a reality (operations, capital costs).
  • Identify best practices and examples of success within Nunavut, and from across Canada.

Vision for Adult Learning and Relationship to Bathurst Mandate

As a guide to the evolution of the territory, the Government of Nunavut produced a framework document entitled “Pinasuaqtavut, The Bathurst Mandate: Our Hopes and Plans for Nunavut,” which serves to identify goals and priorities for the development of programs and services. This document is used widely, and is linked to programs offered by the federal government, and to lands claim bodies that also deliver services.

The major strength of Nunavut is its people, and how as a society we have used consensus to deal with challenges put before us. Consensus and participatory governance have been hallmarks of our communities long before the physical infrastructure was created within which many now live and work. In this sense community does not mean a collection of buildings or a point on a map, but rather community in its truest sense of the word, “a community of people.”

Likewise, adult learning and support for adult learning is not simply something which is tied to “bricks and mortar” or to government-delivered programs and services. To define learning activities only in those terms of formal or structured programs and services is to do a disservice to the wide range of learning which has been present for millennia. Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit (IQ) is one of the pillars on which Nunavut has been founded. The importance of cultural learning and knowledge transfer, self-reliance, and the informality of existing learning structures is something which must be reflected in the development of an overarching, coordinating strategy for learning.

As indicated earlier, the success of any learning strategy will be predicated on the willingness and ability of the community to engage in its development and to take ownership of the process. The Nunavut Adult Learning Strategy is not simply a structure for the delivery of government programs and services. To be successful, it must provide opportunities for the wide-range of Nunavut agencies to coordinate their activities for the betterment of the territories’ residents. It must also look towards developing partnerships, and take advantage of community strengths and initiatives to build capacity within Nunavut so that we can be self-reliant. These partnerships will also be critical to ensuring that scarce resources are being invested strategically for the long-term benefit of all, and not simply to serve an immediate, short-term need.

The development of a Nunavut Adult Learning Strategy will build on the successes and strengths exhibited by many groups and agencies in our communities and regions. While the strategy should be Nunavut-wide in its orientation, focusing on building capacity, it should allow and support community and regionally-based initiatives. As with the Government of Nunavut’s policy of decentralization, adult learning programs and career development services should be delivered close to, or in the communities in which people live and reside. And although the Strategy should provide guidance, support the establishment of Nunavut-wide standards, and allow for the development of cooperative ventures and partnerships, it should be flexible enough to allow for programming which meets community needs, and responds to community conditions; we must accept that the conditions, needs and desires of all our communities are not necessarily the same.

Approaches to the implementation of elements of the Strategy, including career development and counseling services should be user-focused and demand driven. Currently programs and services are developed with varying levels of community input, and are fit into existing structures and envelopes. Nunavummiut expectations, training and education requirements must be clearly defined, and must serve the basis on which planning takes place. All too often, it is institutions which choose what programs are required, where they are offered and who can partake, with little or no understanding of the participants; it is the offering of the course or program which takes precedence over the needs of the participant. As a result, programs are frequently being run with well less than 50% participation, and which may not necessarily provide the skills, knowledge or experience required to meet the need at hand. Without a mechanism to record, monitor and evaluate programs Nunavut will be destined to continue making the same mistakes over again, and miss out on those situations where programs and services successfully meet the needs of Nunavummiut.

The NALS should look towards developing a 20-year vision for adult learning. Not only does this period correspond to other planning timeframes now being implemented, but it also will allow for establishing a process to build forward with the increase in levels of education of Nunavummiut. It is clear that not all of the needs of Nunavut can be satisfied at once. Clear thought and planning must be invested to ensure that the proverbial “Qamutik (sled) is not being put before the dog.” Not only is it an inefficient use of financial resources to offer high skill or highly focused vocational programming to an audience which may not be able to fully engage, it is also wasteful of our human resources. A decision for an individual to participate in adult learning is very significant for that individual, and may reflect other decisions which may involve family choices, or relocation to another community. If an individual is placed in a program for which they are not necessarily prepared, of if the program offered does not meet the needs or expectations of that individual, it is highly likely that they will give long thought to ever engaging in the process again. This is a human loss to Nunavut, and also could have financial implications to programs such as Income Support, or community wellness. The focus of approach taken should be to provide opportunities for Nunavummiut to succeed.

Any successful approach should not be considered as a “magic bullet” or “one shot deal” to solve issues all at once. The NALS should be a living document and an on-going process which is regularly reviewed and updated to reflect changes social and economic conditions. Nunavut is a young territory, and many of our systems and organizations are only in their infancy. To base a strategy or “one time solution” on these rapidly evolving structures, would be to condemn any strategy or approach to failure even before attempts have been made to implement the recommendations. As such, the resulting Strategy should strive to identify strategic priority areas, and suggest a sequencing of actions within which the parts will become bigger than the whole. Where possible, the strategic actions should tie to existing or proposed initiatives to make best use of available resources.

In developing a cohesive, overarching framework for adult learning and career development, Nunavutwill reflect the four major areas identified in the Bathurst Mandate: Healthy Communities, Simplicity and Unity, Self Reliance, and most specifically Continuing Learning.

CurrentState of Career Development Services

The current state of career development services in Nunavut reflects the nascent state of the development of the territory. Services can be described as fragmented at best, with many career development officer positions still in the process of being staffed, with new staff requiring familiarization and training on various federal and provincial programs, and with a paucity of high quality planning information which makes program planning and managing difficult. In addition, the current atmosphere of competition between various federal government departments, between territorial departments, and with the lands claims bodies makes it a challenging work environment.

Many of the federal programs to which Nunavut has access are reflective of conditions seen in southern Canada in major metropolitan areas, or which reflect the needs of First Nations, and do not necessarily reflect the needs of the territory. Inuit are not First Nation, and are not necessary covered by these programs, or if they are, the restrictions are such that the program dollars are difficult to make use of. For example, the Labour Market Development Agreement (LMDA) between the federal government and all provinces and territories is designed for a population of workers and a labour market vastly different from Nunavut’s. As a consequence funding opportunities cannot be utilized and monies lapse. In many communities of 1500 to 2000 persons, only 12-15 residents are what are classed as LMDA eligible. The same is true for other programs.

The focus of most Nunavut career development activities is to identify ways to allow Nunavummiut to engage in the work force in a meaningful manner. This encompasses a broad range of areas from education to work, from unemployed to employed,formal and informal learning, voluntarism,and from work to education; given the young age of the majority of the population, there is little demand for programs related to retirement. There is a requirement to redefine the role of the Career Development Officer (CDO) to include a community-wide orientation, encompassing service to schools, and to act as a catalyst and link for the myriad programs which are present.

As Nunavut develops, the territory would be best supported by:

  • A better understanding of the regional challenges being experienced by the territory; similar to, but different from that experienced by the Yukon and NWT. In many circumstances, the issues facing Nunavut are more similar to those of the smaller Atlantic provinces than our northern colleagues.
  • An understanding that although Nunavut has many challenges, these challenges in addition to the geography have allowed for the development of many strengths at the community and territorial level.
  • A willingness to develop national programs, policies and services which reflect the needs of the Canadian population resident outside of major centres.
  • A willingness to develop funding programs which allow Inuit to participate as full partners and not is some diminished capacity due to restrictive rules or southern focus of programs developed.
  • The development of a national centre for information which can provide an effective source of expertise and which can support career development services.
  • The need for demographic information used in national planning processes to be reflective of the existing realities, and not simply a presumption that all northern regions are the same.
  • A less competitive environment between various agencies developing, funding and delivering programs.
  • A move to career services being demand driven rather than supply driven.
  • A move to integrate community-based adult education programs with career development services.
  • Programs that link lifelong learning, and workforce development to the social, economic, and political goals of the communities in Nunavut.

“Developing a Shared Agenda” – Nunavut10/28/2018