College announces new program for front-line Yukon First Nations education and employment personnel
WHITEHORSE—Yukon College has announced a new program starting in September aimed at preparing students to take on front-line roles within First Nations education departments and other organizations in Yukon and Northern Canada.
The Community Education and Employment Support certificate program (CEES) has been developed through an extensive community engagement process, with input from the President’s Advisory Council on First Nations Initiatives and a working group featuring representatives from Vuntut Gwichin, Champagne Aishihik First Nations, Ta’an Kwäch’än Council and Kwanlin Dün First Nation.
The program will cover various topics including case management, project management and event planning, communication, professionalism and ethics, wellness and self-care and computer and office fundamentals. The program will wrap up with a self-directed capstone project in the student’s community to practice many of the skills learned.
Students will complete courses online and via video-conference from their own community. However, in September the program will begin by bringing all registered students together in Whitehorse for one week to build face-to-face connections between students and instructors, introduce students to supports integral to their success, learn skills for trauma-informed engagement and discuss the various front-line roles and how they work together.
"The new CEES program will increase capacity by building on the resources that already exist within First Nation governments and communities," says Tracy Kane, Education & Employment Officer for Champagne Aishihik First Nations. "It brings together the skills, knowledge and experience from within these positions and explores what it is we do and how we can do it better. This program justifies the already strong education and employment support services we have in place and enables us to offer better support for our citizens."
“Providing education or employment support at a community level requires a diverse skill set. You are supporting people to develop goals and create a plan to achieve them, connecting people to appropriate supports and funding sources, organizing events and training programs, managing budgets and writing reports – while maintaining healthy self-care practices that enable you to do such incredibly important work,” said Faith Whiting, CEES program instructor/coordinator and former adult educator and employment support worker.
The program is open to people already working in an education and employment support role who may be seeking to expand their skills and capacity as well as people interested in taking on such a role in their community.
Graduates of the Community Education and Employment Support program will be equipped for jobs such as community education liaison coordinator, education support worker, education outreach coordinator, employment training officer, post-secondary coordinator and employment support worker.