Our Directors decided in 2002 that there was a need for NITC to communicate more effectively with beneficiaries, other implementation organizations, government, and the public at large…and our staff have taken that responsibility seriously, as you can see. In 2003 they launched our website, published our first annual report, and began this newsletter.

What does the next year hold?

We will be working to implement the strategic goals approved by our Board of Directors earlier this year. These include a stronger role for NITC in the negotiation of Article 23, the section of the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement that guarantees Inuit 85% of the jobs at every level within the federal and territorial governments. We will also be supporting the renegotiation of the Implementation Contract for the NLCA. But most important, we will be working to improve and strengthen the training programs and services our partner organizations and Nunavut beneficiaries now depend on.

In many ways we have accomplished a lot. But when I look at the declining level of Inuit employment in government, and in senior management positions throughout Nunavut , I realize that we still have a long way to go. Fortunately, we have our staff to count on. I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Lorne, Donna, Roxanne, Rod, Justin, and Charlotte . They are the heart of NITC, and our success in the last year has been due to their hard work and commitment.

We welcome your comments on this newsletter, or on NITC in general. Please feel free to visit the training forum (http://www.nitc.ca/english/talkback-feedback.html), and let us know what you think .

All the best to you in 2004.

Peter Kritaqliluk, Chairperson

I normally use this section of the Newsletter to talk about general training issues in Nunavut . But we've just been through a planning process, and I thought this would be an opportunity to let our readers know what direction NITC will be taking over the next five years. Our strategic goals are now on our website: here is a brief summary of some of the key decisions we've made about what's in store for NITC.

The first and most important decision we made has to do with the lifespan of the organization. Since NITC was created, there has been much discussion about whether we should plan to operate for five years, or ten years, or permanently. That question has been resolved. After reviewing the Land Claim Agreement, and after taking a realistic look at the training needs within DIOs, IPGs, and the Governments of Canada and Nunavut , our Board has agreed that NITC will be a permanent organization. We will therefore be planning and budgeting for the long term. One of the implications of that decision will be a new approach to managing the Implementation Training Trust: our goal over the next five years will be to fundraise in order to restore the Trust to its 1993 purchasing power.

Over the last two years NITC has become an active player in the implementation of Article 23. This Article is one of the last major areas of implementation still to be addressed. Both the Federal and Territorial governments have fallen far short of their obligations. We have some important responsibilities in this area, including the obligation to support the development of Inuit Employment Plans, pre-employment training plans, and support measures. We will be working closely with NTI and both governments over the next year to re-energize the process and ensure Inuit get their fair share of government jobs.

A third major goal will be rebuilding partnerships with other training stakeholders. One of our responsibilities under the Claim is to “establish consultative arrangements between Government and Inuit that ensure effective integration of training funded from the Implementation Training Trust with existing Government training programs”. Put simply, the negotiators of the Claim intended that NITC should play a major role in making sure that government funders of training, like Human Resources Development Canada, Aboriginal Human Resources Development Agreement Holders, and GN work together with Inuit to ensure that all training resources are being coordinated to reflect Nunavut 's real needs and priorities.

There have been several attempts in the past at coordinating training funding, programs and services for Inuit in Nunavut , from ATII in the mid 1980s to the Nunavut Human Resources Development Strategy in the 1990s. Most succeeded for a short time: most failed when the needs or interests of the partners diverged. But over the last decade, it's become very clear that the goals of Article 23 will only be met if funders, program delivery agencies and government departments coordinate their efforts. The need is too big and the resources too few for any other approach.

We will therefore be taking steps in the New Year to begin building a strong, effective network of training funders, programs and users. Only through a united, coordinated approach to training will the real promise of the Claim be fulfilled.

We have other goals, and they are described in greater detail on our Website. But these three summarize the most important decisions NITC reached through the planning process. Through this newsletter and our website, we will keep you apprised of our progress.

Let me take this opportunity to wish you all a very Happy New Year.

Lorne Kusugak,

Chief Executive Officer

• On behalf of NITC, Donna Adams and Rod Hick participated in a study on the recruitment and retention of Inuit in government employment. The study was commissioned by the Government of Canada, in conjunction with the Government of Nunavut and Nunavut Tunngavik Inc. to identify the factors that affect success in ensuring Inuit participation in government employment. Prairie Research Associates is conducting the study currently.
  

• NITC participated as exhibitors in the 2003 Career Fair hosted in Rankin Inlet on December 7 – 9, 2003 . The career fair gave NITC the opportunity to inform the public about its training programs such as the Nunavut Beneficiaries Scholarship. NITC also provided information on training in general, and on employment areas in Inuit land claim organizations. Exhibitors represented businesses, organizations, government and educational institutions and came from as far away as Winnipeg and Edmonton . The fair was well attended with bigger expectations for next year.
  
  

• One of the latest developments in territorial training and education is an extensive paper released by the Department of Education of the Government of Nunavut. It is titled, “Developing an Adult Learning Strategy for Nunavut : A Discussion Document”.
  
  

• NITC's Five Year Strategic Goals were approved by our Board of Directors this fall, and have been posted on our website in the “Documents” section.
  
  

• Following approval of the Strategic Goals, NITC staff met in Winnipeg and identified a series of implementation strategies for each of the key goals. These will be used to direct operational planning for the next year.
  
  

• Past editions of the NITC Newsletter are now available on our website.

The word “training” is heard frequently in Nunavut these days. It' s used to describe workshops, meetings, courses, consultations, and seminars. Facilitators are often referred to as “trainers”; so are consultants, teachers, elders, mentors, and virtually anyone who is holding a magic marker and standing at a flipchart.

Everyone has his or her own idea about what “training” means. From NITC's perspective, however, “training” is a specific activity with a precise definition. This article will look at that definition, and hopefully get you thinking about what you've been calling “training”.

Here's NITC's working definition of “training”:

“Training is a structured activity, designed to provide a learner with the skills, knowledge and attitudes they need to do specific tasks to a specific standard.”

Let's look a little more closely at some of those terms.

Training is a “ structured activity”

“Learning” can occur anywhere and anytime. People learn by watching, by doing, by reading, by experiencing. But “training” doesn't just happen: it is designed , planned and delivered with a specific goal in mind.

Training is “designed”

A training session, whether it's a three-hour workshop or a three-month course, is a carefully planned series of events organized to achieve specific goals. A trainer identifies specific learning objectives: considers a number of alternative ways of delivering instruction: selects the most appropriate method: and evaluates the impact of training on the participant to see whether or not the learning objectives have been achieved.

Training aims at developing “ skills , knowledge and attitude”

A Skill is the ability to perform a specific action. Training equips learners with a series of skills that enable them to perform a particular task...prepare a balance sheet, make a pot of coffee, or fold a parachute.

Knowledge training provides the background information that learners need to perform those tasks...an understanding of arithmetic, the boiling temperature of water, or a formula for calculating the velocity of falling bodies.

And many learning objectives require that a task must be performed with particular “affective skills”, or attitudes: diligence, precision, service orientation, and so on.

Training is based on “specific tasks”

“Education” describes the process of acquiring general knowledge within a topic area. But the goals of a “training” program are more tightly focused: by the completion of the training, learners must be able to accomplish a series of specific tasks, usually listed in either a job description or a competency profile.

A training program should specify EXACTLY what standard the learner is expected to achieve as a result of the training. The balance sheet must be prepared with 100% accuracy: the pot of coffee must be made within five minutes: and the mortality rate following the parachute-folding exercise must be zero.

These guidelines apply to every kind of training activity, from workshops to mentorships to on-the-job training programs. By paying careful attention to each of the elements of this training definition, you can help strengthen the training that goes on in your organization.

QWB and HTO responsibilities are complex, but most HTOs are under-funded: in many communities all the work is done by a single Secretary-Manager. Addressing their training needs has always been a priority to NITC: last year, in the Qikiqtaaluk Region, QWB and NITC took an important step towards meeting those needs.

NITC sponsored and supported and extensive program of training for new and experienced HTO Secretary Managers in North and South Baffin . Training was designed and delivered by Tom Demcheson (now with the Nunavut Wildlife Management Board), and took place in Iqaluit and Pond Inlet. The training introduced new Secretary Managers to basic office and financial management principles: additional training in financial management and Simply Accounting was provided to more experience managers.

QWB Executive Director Solomon Awa was very pleased with the results. “Thanks to NITC's support, we were able to provide valuable skills to all thirteen Baffin HTOs. I hope we can keep this program going for years to come!”

Rod Hick of NITC was also impressed. “I think one of the things that really made this program work was the positive, consultative relationship between QWB and NITC as we worked out the training objectives and logistics.”

More training is planned for the upcoming year.

• Staff will be preparing operational plans to take the goals set by the Board of Directors and implement them over the next five years.
  
  
• Donna Adams is taking educational leave from January 2004 to April 2004.
  
  
• NITC will be conducting the second major independent evaluation of our organization over the next few months. Under the NLCA, we are required to review our work every five years: the upcoming evaluation will focus on the degree to which NITC has achieved its responsibilities under the Claim.
  
  
• An important goal of NITC's over the next five years is to build and strengthen partnerships with the other bodies mandated to fund or deliver training for Inuit in Nunavut . To that end, CEO Lorne Kusugak will be scheduling a series of meetings with government departments, DIOs and IPGs over the next few months to identify opportunities for the coordination of training programs and funds, and to ensure that resources are being committed to the appropriate training priorities.

The Staff and Board of the Nunavut Implementation Training Committee would like to wish all our friends and partners a very Happy New Year!