NVIT gets $107,000 for community development

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New funding from the provincial government will open up 25 seats in a Nicola Valley Institute of Technology program that trains participants to provide a variety of economic development skills to Aboriginal communities.

Yale-Lillooet MLA Harry Lali announced the $107,000 in new funding, supplied by the Ministry of Advanced Education, Training and Technology through the Skills for Employment program at NVIT.

"The skills taught in this program are very important for individuals as they get into the job market, and they help our communities prosper and grow," said Lali.

"Before I became MLA, I worked for six years as an employment counsellor, doing a lot of the things that are made available through this training offered at NVIT. It's often difficult trying to get into the job market not knowing where the jobs are and how to go about selling oneself in the market."

Part of the NVIT continuing education department, the new class spaces will be part of a community economic development program that will provide the participants with training in business administration and community economic development. These skills are important to band members in the central Interior where many communities are making a transition to self-government.

It is an eight-month training program that will allow students to move into the workforce immediately or move into a diploma or degree program once a few more details have been worked out, explained NVIT spokesperson Patti Dempster.

"We made two applications to the ministry related to community economic development, and we're very happy to see these came through. It's a good opportunity for our community members to expand their skills and contribute to their communities as a whole," Dempster said. "It covers a lot of issues that are particular to Aboriginal economic development, and will help build stronger Aboriginal communities."

The funding will pay the full tuition for the 25 selected applicants. Originally slated to start in November, the program has been delayed and will now likely start sometime this month.

One of NVIT's oldest programs in the Continuing Education department, the CED program has been updated to deal with current issues contemporary to the politics of the day, Dempster said.

"It's very relevant to what Aboriginal communities are dealing with, and often very specific," she related. "It's a very unique program, and we're quite pleased to offer it."

The provincial funding is part of a $5 million commitment to expand job readiness training and increase the responsiveness of B.C.'s post-secondary institutions. It targets training for people and communities with clearly identified needs, providing education designed to give people an immediate boost in their job-search efforts.