ECONOMY, ENVIRONMENT AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Commitment 1.1.5 – We will get more 18-24 year olds into the labour market by removing barriers to employment, using a better mix of improved educational attainment, skill development, and matching skills with employer needs through improved career development supports.

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) is leading the GNWT’s work to implement the Skills 4 Success 10-Year Strategic Framework (S4S) and 4-Year Action Plan 2016-2020 to help develop the skills, knowledge and talents of the people of the NWT. The S4S is an evidence-based initiative about making system wide improvements to adult and post-secondary education and skills training programs to close education and employment gaps in the NWT.

Implementation of the Skills 4 Success 4-Year Action Plan 2016-2020 (milestone 1) continues and ECE is focusing on the development of a Small Community Employment Strategy, and a Foundational Review and strategic plan for Aurora College. These efforts have interrelated actions that all contribute to developing a skilled workforce to build a strong and thriving northern economy.

The Skills 4 Success 4-Year Action Plan 2016-2020 (milestone 1) which contains 24 actions to improve employment success for the people of the NWT supports the Skills 4 Success 10-Year Strategic Framework and used a combination of program research, extensive stakeholder engagements, and information identified in the Northwest Territories Labour Market Forecast and Needs Assessment. The Minister of ECE tabled the Northwest Territories Labour Market Forecast and Needs Assessment on June 14, 2016.

The Skills 4 Success 4-Year Action Plan 2016-2020 provides direction on how the GNWT plans to achieve the priorities that will realize the S4S Framework’s vision and goals. It includes actions and ways to measure success, and focuses on achieving system wide improvements for better employment outcomes for NWT residents.

The Skills 4 Success 10-Year Strategic Framework was tabled on October 7, 2015. Over 700 people across the NWT engaged in the process of developing the S4S Framework. Feedback from regional focus group sessions, the S4S Symposium, and an online survey have been documented in a full Skills 4 Success Initiative Engagement Report and shorter report, Skills 4 Success Initiative Engagement Summary: “What We Heard”.

In May 2017, as part of the implementation of the S4S Framework and Action Plan, the Department of ECE released the NWT Apprenticeship, Trades and Occupational Certification Strategy 2017-2022 (ATOC), and in June 2017, released the NWT Immigration Strategy 2017-2022: Building a Skilled Workforce and a Vibrant Economy.

The ATOC Strategy outlines how the GNWT will improve training, apprenticeship, and certification opportunities in skilled trades and industrial occupation. The strategy includes four goals, each having specific objectives and key actions. The goals mirror the S4S goals:

• Increase skill levels through relevant education and training;
• Bridge education and employment gaps through targeted supports;
• Grow the NWT workforce through partnerships; and
• Improve decision making with relevant labour market information

The Northwest Territories’ Immigration Strategy: Building a Skilled Workforce and a Vibrant Economy 2017-2022 focuses on growing the population, assisting employers to meet critical workforce needs and increasing investment in the NWT. It includes the following five goals:

• Attract foreign nationals to the NWT whose skills are aligned with current workforce needs;
• Attract foreign investment to benefit the economy;
• Support and be responsive to settlement and integration needs;
• Support the workforce by educating foreign nationals and NWT employers on workers’ rights and responsibilities; and
• Consolidate administrative efforts between the Departments of Education, Culture and Employment and Industry Tourism and Investment.

ECE is currently engaged in discussions with the federal government and other provinces and territories to revise existing agreements for labour market development (milestone 2). The discussions are focused on ensuring that renewed federal-territorial agreements provide sufficient flexibility to address labour market needs. Federal-territorial labour market transfer agreements (LMTA) provide over $7 million in annual funding to the GNWT to support delivery of labour market programs, services and supports. Under the LMTA the GNWT received an increase of $231,000 in 2016-17.

On April 1, 2017, interim changes were implemented to the existing Small Community Employment Support (SCES) program to increase benefit levels and add flexibility for community employers and organizations. These changes were made pending the completion of a strategy to increase employment in small communities.

Moving forward, the SCES program is targeted to the NWT’s smallest communities and the Strategy will provide direction for future enhancements that will be made to the program. These future enhancements will aim to maximize the training and employment opportunities of residents in small communities (milestone 1).

Although SCES programming provides direct supports to small communities, the bulk of programs that support labour force development across the NWT are funded through federal labour market transfer agreements.

Related Mandate Commitments:

Commitment 1.1.13 - We will support small communities by enhancing job-creation programs, building community capacity and supporting new economic opportunities by:

• Enhancing the Small Communities Employment Support Program.
• Developing and implementing a strategy to increase employment in small communities that guides the delivery of territorial programming and includes a performance measurement plan.

Commitment 2.3.1 - We will take steps to close the skills gap, by conducting a Foundational Review of Aurora College followed by a renewed strategic plan and updates to the Aurora College Act where indicated by the Foundational Review, improving outcomes from our Community Learning Centres, strengthening the apprenticeship program, and improving our career development services.

Commitment 2.5.4 - We will promote and improve student financial assistance to support NWT youth in developing the skills and abilities to meet their potential as well as territorial labour demand.