Education

SUPPLEMENT TO THE FREE PRESS • SATURDAY, AUGUST 13, 2022 5 EDUCATION GUIDE hands-on training for students at the University College of the North, helping the local commu- nity gain employment skills and strategy," says Justin Minard, ex- ecutive director of Computers for Schools. Partnerships built the program, but students like Sayese are the ones moving it forward. "It was amazing to watch the transformation of the women in the program. They started as ca- sual technology users and are leaving with the skills like under- standing and working with circuit boards in a computer," Manych says. "The support for each oth- er in the all-female group shows there is a place for women in this male-dominated field." The "Sweetgrass" (decoloniza- tion and culturally appropriate control of the IT training) com- ponent of InTeRN has proven critical to keeping the students engaged. Students balanced full- time education challenges with maintaining important family and community obligations through a pandemic. More than simply testing wheth- er the students can be success- ful in an IT program, InTeRN has demonstrated success in creating a learning community where the students are responsible for their learning, their classroom and each other. "Computers interested me for a while. I saw the Facebook ad, took a chance, and here I am," Sayese explains. "The project interested me because it was focused on In- digenous women. It's a different atmosphere because we look at things from a woman's perspec- tive." Sayese says her path in technol- ogy at UCN serves as a beginning for others. She and her classmates are the first to graduate this July from the program. The unique in- formation technology project re- ceived funding from Future Skills Centre to continue operation through 2023. "In the future, I'd like to be edu- cating other people about this in- formation," she says. "I'm learning something. Why not give it back?" University College of the North provides learning opportunities to northern communities while respecting diverse Indigenous and northern values. SUPPLIED PHOTO The cohort of women often engaged with partners at other institutions. Here they talk IT and swap school sweaters with the Cheriton School of Computer Science, which has become the largest academic concentration of computer science researchers in Canada. The world of work is changing. With traditional industries being reinvented and new ones being created at blazing speed, it has never been more important to gain new skills to future-proof your career. Combining practical, hands-on training with in-depth study, we are Manitoba's only polytechnic and we provide the skills needed to quickly start, advance or change your career and prepare for the future of work. FEATURED PROGRAMS Business Administration – Two-Year Diploma Career opportunities in accounting, entrepreneurship, financial services, human resources, marketing, and logistics and supply chain. rrc.ca/businesscareer Civil Engineering Technology – 32-Month Diploma Engineering technologist opportunities in architectural, environmental, municipal, structural and geomatics technology. rrc.ca/civil LEARN MORE AT rrc.ca/careerskills Get in Front of What's Ahead CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4

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