NEWS RELEASE
NORTHERN COLLEGE
*************************
KIRKLAND LAKE, ON: Northern College and the Hamlet of Arviat, Nunavut, are celebrating the successful completion of the new Arviat Artistic Welding program.
The program was delivered through a partnership between the college and the hamlet, with support from the Government of Nunavut’s department of Economic Development and Transportation.
Seven students completed the program, which is designed to enable students to develop a methodology for designing and applying creative problem-solving skills while acquiring basic welding techniques.
The students were guided on-site by Northern College welding instructor Dennis Fordyce and artistic instructor Cesar Forero. As part of their training, the students created a multi-dimensional project using scrap metal recuperated from the metal landfill.
“The Arviat Artistic Welding program is a shining example of how colleges and remote communities can work together to provide new opportunities for local residents,” said Rose-Lyne Messier, Training Consultant at Northern College. “This program was developed with the goal of promoting artistic development among youth and reducing the levels of scrap metal in the landfill.”
Northern College has been working with the Arviat Training Initiative Advisory Group to develop programs that are in line with a demand for local trades training, with a large focus on Nunavut’s growing mining industry. The college has also assisted the Hamlet in establishing the welding lab where the Artistic Welding program took place.
Together, this college/community partnership continues to thrive in creating training programs for the residents of Arviat. There are many more training programs being offered to residents in the upcoming months, including a Mechanical Welding Trade program and a Word Readiness workshop.
