Getting Ready for Employment and Training (G.R.E.A.T.)
The G.R.E.A.T. Program is a 14-week program is the result of a partnership between Nunavut Arctic College and the Nunavut Government: Department of Family Services and is specifically for income assistance recipients. It was launched in 2015 and is on-going.
The purpose of the program is to support Income Assistance recipients to make successful entry into the labour force and become employed and/or pursue further training and education.
G.R.E.A.T. Program focuses on essential skill building and work readiness.
The program is 14 weeks long consisting of six College courses:
• Career and College Exploration 130/140
The Career and College Exploration course introduces students to a variety of career choices through various presentations made by people working in their community. Learners must complete project work to successfully complete the course.
• ES Communications 1 and ES Numeracy 1
Numeracy and oral communication are key essential skills in today’s workplace. A number of entry-level occupations and the exact communications and numeracy skills people need in order to succeed in Nunavut’s most common jobs have been identified.
• Introduction to Computers: Learners learn how to use aspects of Word and Excel. An overhead projector is used to demonstrate practice material for each unit.
• Job Experience
Many Adult Basic Education learners go on to participate in a job practicum placement in their community, in the Career and College Exploration Practicum course. Learners apply their skills in the work environment with a supervisor in consultation with the College instructor.
The course features 90 hours in a Job Experience program, as learners gain experience working in both the paid and unpaid labour markets. The nature of the work experience is determined in consultation with the instructor and may include simulated group business, volunteer activities, and work placements.
• Portfolio Development
In the Portfolio Development course, learners identify the transferable skills, personal strengths, skills, knowledge, and attitudes that they have learned from all areas of their lives. The resulting portfolio may be used to apply for academic credit related to specific NAC programs, to find employment, and to support learners in achieving other identified life goals.
Pascale Essebou, Nunavut Arctic College
Pascale.Essebou@arcticcollege.ca
Initiative Impact
Key learning outcomes for participants:
• Develop and/or improve the essential skills of reading text, document use, working with numbers, computer use and writing, which are required for most jobs.
• Reflect upon personal and career goals, and identify learning and career opportunities.
• Create an up-to-date résumé and cover letter, and practice interview skills.
• Create a prior learning portfolio that identifies and provides documentation of personal strengths, skills, knowledge and attitudes.
• Know more about employment opportunities by participating in and reflecting upon a mentored on-the-job work experience.
• Conduct effective job searches.
No. of Participants: 287
Completion rate: 186 or 64.80%
Placements: 14%
Learners are moving off Income Assistance and entering the workforce; they are pursuing further training and/or education; their self-esteem and self-confidence are increasing.
The G.R.E.A.T. program is motivating people to identify what interests them, and what skills they would like to develop to lead them to fulfilling employment.
Program challenges:
• Withdrawal from the program because of personal issues and lack of interest in the program
• Attendance issue
We addressed these issues by implementing cash Incentive for the 90% attendance requirement
Participant challenges:
• Learning challenges – low ES levels
• Poor self-esteem
What advice from those lessons would you share with others?
1- This initiative is not simply to enable the learners to gain experience through a work placement for 10 days but to learn and grow from that experience.
2- This initiative is an opportunity for learners to share their work experiences, identify challenges and to identify strategies for job retention. We want them to find solutions for job retention issues they may be experiencing.
3- Flexibility and creativity from the Instructors who must find ways to help learners who are not ready for a formal work placement at a company (for example, setting up simulation of a job position and work environment at the College)
Incorporation of Essential Skills
While there is a focus on reading, document use, numeracy, writing, oral communication, working with others and computer use participants are exposed to all the ES through various components of the program.
The program consists of
ES Communications (100 hrs.) – Curriculum takes an Essential Skills approach to literacy development-It familiarizes learners with a variety of documents and texts and help them apply their skills to real-life tasks. Learners will develop their abilities to communicate in writing, with an emphasis on applying writing skills to functional tasks such as completing forms and writing emails.
ES Numeracy (70 hrs) – draws on authentic tasks learners are likely to encounter at work and in the community. Math operations taught in the context of completing authentic activities. Learners develop abilities to work with data, money and measurement in authentic ways.
Portfolio Development (45 hrs) – learners work to create a prior learning portfolio that identifies and provides evidence of the skills, knowledge, and attitudes that they have learned from all areas of their lives.
Introduction to Computers (45 hrs) – a focus on word processing and using the Internet
Career College (60 hrs.) -primary focus is on career exploration and job preparation skills. This includes
skill building in the area of teamwork, the development of an educational action plan, and the identification of strategies for overcoming barriers which may be encountered in a work or higher education setting
Job Experience 90 hours -Participants explore the nature of work, both paid and unpaid. 60 hours spent in gaining experience working in both the paid and unpaid labour markets.
Placement test
• NAC instructor implements an English Assessment Testing| Inuktitut Testing| Math Assessment Testing prior to entry in the program.
Nunavut Adult Placement Assessment (NAPA) assesses individual’s ability to read and write in English.
NAPA and Math assessments take up to 2 hours
• Instructor observation and marking throughout the program
To graduate from the program learners must complete all five curriculum components and the job experience practicum. Learners must obtain at least 60% in each course, except Portfolio Development in which students must obtain at least 50%.
Final Grading is based on the following:
• Classroom Assignment: 30%
• Assessments: 25%
• End-of-term assessment: 25%
• Student Self-Assessment: 10%
• Participation: 10%
Project Components
Inuit knowledge is integrated into this program in the following ways:
This program explores the idea of work within the frame of Inuit traditional values and practices. The program includes the concept, development, and practice of Inuruqsainiq (creating an able human being). It also enables learners to explore different ways of knowing and being—traditional, local and oral tradition – through the ethics and practices of working with elders.
The program explores the idea of the history of work in what is now Nunavut including Inuit history, experiences, historical gender roles, traditional teaching and mentoring practices, traditional and modern parenting skills, as well as self-care then and now. Learners engage as active members of the learning experience. Opportunities for practice, application and reflection are provided.
Skills are developed using a task-based approach, the Inuit principle of ilimmaksarniq/Pijariuqsarniq
(Development of skills through observation, mentoring, practice, and effort) is used with
learners. Skills development takes a spiral approach, enabling learners to come back to practice and master concepts. Rather than focusing on the one way to solve problems, students will be encouraged to use their resourcefulness to do so. This is possible with a focus on functional, purposeful tasks, enabling learners to practise.
Instructors need to be flexible, creative and resourceful. They need to have strong interpersonal skills and communicate well with participants, elders, community members and other staff. They need to be able to provide participants with feedback in a constructive and caring way.
Students’ Sponsors
• Department of Family Services
• Career Development Officers
• Income Assistance Workers
Program Funder
• CanNor
• Department of Family Services (funds the G.R.E.A.T. program)
Community Members
• Local Elders
• Traditional Knowledge Experts
• Subject Matter Experts (Guest Speakers)
Employers
• Government (local and territorial)
• Companies
Project Contractors
• Inhabit Education
• Atiigo Media