NAIT's Aboriginal Initiatives Grads Rev Up the Oil Industry
A unique partnership is providing trades training and employment in northern Alberta for 80 people of Aboriginal origin. Once participants finish the intensive, multi-faceted training program, close to 48 of the participants will be eligible to become apprentices in pipefitting, welding or electrical.
The Horizon NIM training initiative is a partnership of Canadian Natural, Alberta Employment, Immigration and Industry, and NAIT as well as several Aboriginal communities and organizations. This program combines classroom training and on-site training and work experience. Its goals are two-fold: to provide Aboriginals with training that leads to long-term employment and to provide skilled workers for the chronic labour shortages facing Alberta industry.
“This program will make students as employment ready as they can be in the field they are pursuing,” said Dorothy Anderson, a project manager in NAIT’s Aboriginal Initiatives unit. “By the time they graduate, they will have had 320 hours of hands-on technical exposure.”
But the Horizon initiative offers much more than trades training. It begins in the classroom with employability and life skills training to prepare students for the employment and training environment. Understanding the impact of employment on the family, employer expectations and other challenges faced in the workplace are important components. Classroom training also includes academic upgrading in math and science, safety training and toward the end of the program, training in writing resumes and being interviewed.
The program area also administers the Alberta Apprenticeship Entrances Exam for every eligible student at each level he or she is challenging. Integral to the program is the support and encouragement of the on-site coordinator, NAIT instructors and program managers.
“People enrolling in this program often have complex lives and personal challenges to overcome before they can succeed at school or work,” says Anderson. “We help them to address these barriers and also ensure on-site support is provided to them when they get to the work camp.”
Students are screened for admission to the program, and classes are small. Each cohort in the four training cycles admitted 20 students, and an average of 12 advanced to the Horizon site near Fort McKay for technical training.
“Camp work is not for everyone, neither is school,” said Anderson. “There is a natural attrition rate that occurs, and this has worked out well, as the NAIT in Motion unit at the worksite can only accommodate 12 students at a time!”
The first cohort began their training in March 2007 and the last group graduated in February 2008. Students were ages 17 to 44 and included both men and women from First Nations communities, major cities, Métis Settlements and Métis Nation of Alberta. Interest was shown from both northeast and northwest Alberta, so off-site training was held in both Lac La Biche and Grouard.
On-site training takes place at the NIM unit in Fort McKay. Students are expected to simulate the daily life of the workers on the site, getting up at 6:00 am, working hard all day and heading to bed early in the evening. They must try their hand at all three trades in the program (welding, pipefitting and electrical) before they select an option. Graduation rate is about 75% and each person who completes will seek apprenticeship opportunities with the various sub-contractors at the Horizon site, which began construction in 2006. NAIT provides on-going support through an on-site coordinator for six months past graduation.
“Even those who don’t complete the program gain benefits,” said Anderson. “For some, it’s getting their education upgraded; for others, it’s learning how to adapt to the world of work; and for many, it’s developing a sense of direction.”
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IT Trainers Impressed with the Philippines
Two NAIT trainers from Edmonton winged their way to the Philippines last summer to conduct two weeks of train-the-trainer classes for the start up of a new call centre service in Manila.
About 45 Filipino trainers participated in the classes that focused on both the technology of the Information Technology Essential Services equipment, based on the Microsoft Windows Vista program, and on customer service.
“The Manila training was a strategic partnership with a large Alberta company that contracts out services both at home and abroad,” said Mehadi Sayed, manager of the Information Technology training in Corporate and International Training. “Canadian trainers were preferred, as the customer base of the call centre will be Canadian.”
Sayed says that though currently most of their global contracts for IT training come from Alberta companies, he expects the word to spread in countries and continents where NAIT services have been successful deployed.
NAIT conducted similar call centre train-the-trainer courses in India and looked after the training of 700 local call service operators for another locally based company. Since every contract and culture is different, the instructors get varied experience in dealing with diverse needs and challenges.
The two contracted instructors from Edmonton found the Philippines an ideal country for training. “They were impressed with the participants’ strong work ethic and competency in English,” said Sayed. “These are two of the reasons this country has one of the fastest growing economies in the support industry.”
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Long Term Relationships Foster Growth
NAIT’s Customized Leadership Training is helping organizations of all sizes prepare their management teams for the demands and challenges of business today.
Participants range from front line supervisors to senior executives and come from small, medium and large businesses. Though one and two workshops were often the mode in the early days, this area of Corporate & International Training is now signing contracts as long as three years.
“We often use a blended learning model that integrates the face to face model of training with WebCT,” said Kathleen Edwards, account manager for leadership training. “This model enables us to train all managers at a particular organization, regardless of where they are located.”
Edwards works closely with both the client and the School of Business to ensure courses are relevant and rewarding. The process often begins with a thorough needs assessment and then courses are designed to fill the needs. As many as 40 customized courses can be developed for a single client.
“We use the Harvard Business School model, “said Dr. Corey Wentzell, Dean of the JR Shaw School of Business at NAIT, “that includes Harvard case materials, high end simulations, and current articles, not text books. The courses are highly interactive.”
Instructors are carefully selected to match both the culture and needs of each client, and they use experiential learning as their primary teaching model. “That way the participants can apply what they learn directly back into the workplace.”
National companies have a particular interest in this type of customized training; managers in Montreal, Toronto, Vancouver, Saskatoon and most parts of Alberta have received NAIT leadership training.
Edwards says that the key element to working with clients over the long term is to develop strong relationships built on trust. Currently Edwards is working with five major clients, but when required, she also works with 25 or more smaller businesses that have come to NAIT over the years.
“We get a lot of repeat business,” says Edwards. “Many of our clients regard us as their continuous service provider for all of their training: trade, technical and front line, as well as the management stream. When that happens, the whole institute gets involved.” |
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In this issue...
SUPPORT NAIT'S NOMINATION FOR GETENERGY EDUCATION PROVIDER OF THE YEAR
NAIT is one of three nominees in the Education/Training Provider of the Year category of the prestigious Get Energy Awards. The award is given to the education provider who demonstrates commitment, innovation and academic excellence in the Global Oil and Gas Sector. The short-listed organizations then compete for the final award via an internet voting system.
To cast your vote to support NAIT as a recipient of this award Vote Here.
NAITFIND
NAITfind’s mandate is to match the labour needs of organizations throughout the province of Alberta with highly skilled individuals from across Canada and around the globe. To find out more visit www.nait.ca/naitfind
WIN AN APPLE IPOD
New subscribers to Training Track are automatically entered in a draw for an Apple iPod. Forward Training Track to someone who may be interested in training at NAIT.
Forward to a colleague!
INDUSTRY PROFESSIONALS SHARE YOUR EXPERTISE
There is a current demand for professionals who would enjoy the freedom of part-time or short-term instructional work. We are building our database of expertise for both domestic and international assignments. Areas in need include oil & gas, trades, health, business, and hospitality.
For more information contact:
Stacey Graham
Recruitment Specialist
E. staceyg@nait.ca
P. 780.378.596
visit www.nait.ca/hr/careers |
