NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: Inuvialuit Settlement Region, Gwich'in Settlement Area, North Slave Region, South Slave Region

Tags: policy development, industrial development, educational development, adult education, aurora college

Project Description: The purpose of this study is to learn how industry and industrial development in the Northwest Territories is affecting course offerings at Aurora College. Some of the questions to be answered include: Has program expansion been evenly distributed or focused in just one area? Has the college received subsidies and support by private industry to develop programs? If so, how has this impacted other programs being offered? By understanding how adult education and program choice at the college level have changed as a result of recent developments in the territory, better educational policies can be developed at the community and territorial level. The researcher plans to interview policy planners at the three Aurora College campuses. Interviews will be done in a semi-structured manner with open-ended questions. This method will allow the participants to give the most useful information. The researcher hopes to get a better understanding of the relationship that exists between the college, government, and industry in developing and shaping programs at the college. He also hopes to see how this relationship affects the culture and education of the region. The researcher will present the results of his research to interested stakeholders once the project is complete. The final report will be published and available through the Canadian Circumpolar Association library at the University of Alberta. Copies of the report will be provided to Aurora College, the Aurora Research Institute, and to interested participants. The study will be conducted at Fort Smith, Yellowknife and Inuvik intermittently from July 6 to September 30, 2005.