First Nation-Owned College Feeling Economy's Crunch

The Haisla Nation in Kitimat, B.C., owns a Registered Private College in partnership with RIO Tinto Alcan and Roger Leclerc is the Institute Manager of Kitimat Valley Institute (KVI). "We do three areas of programs," said Roger,

"Aboriginal Education and Training, Technical and Industry programs, consulting work, special programs for management, pulp and paper technician program," and KVI has delivered power engineering programs in the past, "and still have the curriculum for delivering the program." Last but not least KVI operates a conference centre for room rentals.

At KVI, "Presently we deliver a 10 month Job Readiness training program that provides them with a Dogwood (high school diploma) certificate," said Roger. "We are delivering academic and life skills programs, employment readiness, and work experience placements into jobs."

The demands of a changing economy are creating new business opportunities in the region, and KVI has delivered a 12-day Aboriginal Best Program, delivered on behalf of the Ministry of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation, as run by Bruce Lacroix "We've ran it for the last two years," said Roger. "It provides information and the ability to start a business," teaching the students business plans and marketing skills.

"With all these different industries coming into the region a local small business community will benefit," said Roger. KVI is using various delivery modes to put the education on-stream, "We deliver on-line programs and have a modern computer lab."

KVI, KVC, and NWCC jointly are partnering in a 30 week Trades carpentry and Residential Maintenance Worker program in Kitamaat Village."

Roger noted, "We struggle on delivering our Job Readiness program at KVI because it's a social program," and the education funds are hard to find. "We'll have 20 people register and 15 to 17 will complete it. This year we started with 10 and it's tough because we get no public funding to deliver the program. We've had industry and shareholders KVI's partners) fund the program in the past."

The job readiness program delivers wider community benefits by building the capacity of the community for employment, "It has a September start date and we want to keep it alive. Rio Tinto Alcan and the Haisla nation are110 percent behind what KVI is doing. We have anywhere from 500 to 1000 students that benefit form different program and services that we offer in a 12 month period." Roger said that the Rio Tinto Alcan modernization program is moving ahead at a reduced pace in this 'down' economy, "and we are anticipating major expansions for industry, which works 12 months a year."

Meanwhile the school programs, industry related and dependent, have been reduced in scale to match the shrunken economic activity of a recession, "We've gone to job sharing ourselves, no layoffs, but KVI staff has been put on a three-day work week."