Collège Nordique Francophone is looking to bring a new business program to the territory, slated for a September start.
The program is aimed at developing students’ understanding of how organizations are run and ways to support day to day business operations.
The business diploma would be made available to students in the N.W.T. in partnership with Collège La Cité. It would be delivered remotely through La Cité’s online learning platform.
With a population of about 45,000, folks in the territory have been left out of the same basket of resources historically made more readily available to other jurisdictions of the south with denser populations. Without the same level of federal investment in critical infrastructure like education, those looking to pursue post-secondary education in the North have often felt left out of the cold.
Education advocates in the North have long called for more post-secondary opportunities to be made available.
The city of Yellowknife, among other jurisdictions in the N.W.T. is facing ongoing challenges around education infrastructure.
“While northern youth, and all adults, have exceptional skills and abilities what is often missing is the qualifications needed to gain employment, and right now Northerners often have to leave the territory to get those qualifications,” said Mayor Ben Hendriksen.
Organizers of the proposed program said that students would have the option to attend courses virtually via the college’s online platform.
A 420-hour internship is also planned as a mandatory to the diploma, but students may be able to complete the internship through their workplace if they are employed.
Internships could be completed through Francophone organizations across the North, from the N.W.T. to Nunavut to Yukon. According to the information released by the territory’s Education department, this would include both community organizations and businesses.
According to the information released by the department, the program would be open to Canadian citizens and to permanent residents and would make room for students to transfer into other business programs.
The program is awaiting approval in accordance with the Post Secondary Education Act and regulations.
Under requirements established in 2022, when a post-secondary institution applies to offer a new program, the application is posted publicly for 15 business days.
During that time period, the public and other postsecondary institutions can review it and provide feedback.
Anyone who would like more information can head to the ‘Have Your Say” webpages and can submit feedback by June 10 to advancededucation@gov.nt.ca
