KGHS is supporting Fort Good Hope residents, as well as residents in other Sahtú communities, to become certified construction tradespeople. This will allow our communities to be self-sufficient and improve the local economy, by keeping work within the community rather than bringing in contractors for construction needs. To do this, KGHS is offering various opportunities to residents to gain the skills and experience they need to become certified construction tradespersons. If you are interested in this program, please reach out to KGHS and provide your name, contact information, and what trade area(s) you are interested in.
In the NWT, there are 3 categories of tradespeople. KGHS is willing to support Sahtú residents in the Construction Trades, which can be found in Category A and Category B. While all of these trades are important, KGHS has listed some of these as high priority, meaning the Sahtu is in dire need of people with these skills.
Category A
High Priority
- Carpenter
- Crane and Hoisting Equipment Operator
- Housing Maintainer
Low Priority
- Insulator – Heat and Frost
- Locksmith
- Painter and Decorator
- Roofer
Category B
High Priority
- Construction Electrician
- Gasfitter A
- Gasfitter B
- Heavy Equipment Technician
- Oil Heat Systems Technician
- Plumber
There are many different pathways to becoming a certified tradesperson. These include achieving 70% on the Trades Entrance Exam, obtaining certain grades in certain high school classes, or passing 5 of the Canadian General Development (GED) tests. Only one of these needs to be completed. Once one of these pathways is achieved, the student can sign up to be an apprentice, and work with a certified tradesperson to complete enough hours of work experience before they get certified.
What projects are we working on?
For the first year of the program, KGHS is focusing on programs for Fort Good Hope residents. Starting 2023, KGHS plans to expand programs to Sahtú residents.
- SNAP Program: KGHS is working with Chief T’Selehye School in Fort Good Hope to restart the SNAP Program for high school student aged 16+. The SNAP Program is made for high school students to earn high school credits, while also earning hours towards their apprenticeship. For more information, check out this information package.
Building TradesHelper Program: KGHS has partnered with Aurora College to offer a 3 month introductory course in Fort Good Hope to adults in the community. This course is being offered in the Fall 2022. For more information, check out the Aurora College program page.
KGHS partnered with Chief T’Selehye School and Aurora College to send eight high school students to Fort Smith for a week of introductory trades programming in September 2022. They joined high school students from the Tłı̨chǫ and South Slave regions. KGHS looks forward to sending another cohort of students for the next offering of the Trades Awareness Program.
