Education

8 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS - SATURDAY, AUGUST 10, 2019 UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF THE NORTH EDUCATING THE NORTH By Geoff Kirbyson for the Free Press University College of the North has seen its enrolment grow by 60 per cent despite facing some of the biggest challenges in post-secondary education. With two main campuses in The Pas and Thompson, the UCN is repositioning its offering to be more involved in the continuum of learning, rather than essential skills, but it has to contend with the reality that a very high percentage of the region's population does not have a high school education. In fact, it's common that virtually half of the people in a community have not completed Grade 12 — but it's as high as 80 per cent in some areas. "That means, before they can be successful or eligible, they have (credit) issues," said Dan Smith, the school's vice- president of academic and research. "We're trying to ensure we are able to assist students to become ready for various education options so that at the end they can be employed. We want to become better at ensuring access to post- secondary education to help them achieve whatever it is they want to achieve." That could mean a few weeks of a refresher course in math or more intensive training in another discipline, all depending on the applicant's education and skills. You can't argue with UCN's success. Over the last year, it has seen its number of students jump from 2,000 to more than 3,200. With a target market where 70 per cent of the people are Indigenous, Smith said UCN's 150 instructors focus on creating the right learning environment for its students. In some cases, students' parents don't have an appreciation of the importance of getting an education so it's more difficult to support the students effectively. "We're trying to reflect the culture in the curriculum," he said. The strategy for last year was shorter- term programs, and this year UCN is hoping to see more students pursuing certificates, diplomas and degrees. On the degrees side, UCN offers four majors and five minors in a bachelor of arts program, in which the courses are largely transferable with the University of Manitoba. It also has a bachelor of education and a bachelor of business administration program. The U of M's nursing program is taught on the UCN campus, too. There are eight diploma disciplines offered, including early childhood education, business administration and natural resources management while certificate programs include health- care aides, office assistants, facilities technicians, carpentry, industrial electrician, industrial mechanic as well as culinary arts, welding and heavy- duty mechanics. UCN works directly with industry — such as forestry in Swan River, for example, and mining in Thompson — and provides training and certification in forklift operation, truck driving, first aid and other short-term courses needed by industry. UCN also works with regional health authorities and school divisions to determine skills gaps. "They'll hire as many nurses and health- care aides as we can produce," he said. "The north is a classic case of people without jobs and jobs without people. Everybody has the same challenges. Many people are looking for work but don't have the skills." A large proportion of the regional health authorities' budgets is allocated to the transportation of doctors, nurses and paramedics to work up north on a temporary basis. "If we train people, they want to stay in their home communities. There is work available, but they have to be trained to do it. The need and the opportunities, if you're a post-secondary institution, are almost overwhelming," he said. Because two-thirds of its students are Indigenous, the First Nations Educational Authority pays for their tuition. "Tuition isn't a road block in the same way it is at the University of Manitoba or the University of Winnipeg," he said. ❚ UCN photos

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