Aboriginal Careers Explorers Academy returns to Northern Lakes College

(Slave Lake, AB) – Northern Lakes College hosted students participating in the Aboriginal Careers Explorers Academy at the Slave Lake Main Campus this past July 10, 2017 to August 11, 2017. Youth from the Lesser Slave Lake region had the opportunity to live in student residence, experience work life and gain an understanding and appreciation for the responsibilities and duties of specific occupations.

The five-week program was dedicated to raise youth awareness of career options and help students gain work experiences through internships. The first week prepared the high school students for the world of work through courses instructed at Northern Lakes College. The remaining four weeks’ students stepped into their internships with local employers. Developing job-readiness skills, meeting new friends, learning life skills and participating in fun evening activities were several of the great opportunities this academy had to offer to participating youth.

“This is the second year the Aboriginal Careers Explorers Academy has been hosted in Slave Lake,” says Brian Panasiuk, Chair of Dual Credit and Recruitment. “It has been a great experience for youth in gaining valuable work experiences and working with our partners in helping the students form professional work relationships. We are really happy with the response from the business community, their support is crucial to this Academy.”

Students successfully completed the five week Academy in Slave Lake.

The Academy hosted a social event at the end of the program where students, families, employers and sponsors of the program all came to together to celebrate the students. During the event, the Honourable Danielle Larivee, MLA for Lesser Slave Lake and Minister of Children’s Services congratulated the students on their successful completion of the Academy.

The Aboriginal Careers Explorers Academy is a collaborative partnership with the following partners: Careers: The Next Generation, Shell Canada, Rupertsland Institute, Kee Tas Kee Now Tribal Council, Lesser Slave Lake Indian Regional Council, Alberta Health Services, Vanderwell Contractors, Lesser Slave Lake Regional Housing Authority, Sawridge First Nation, Tolko Industries, Alberta Native Friendship Centres Association and Northern Lakes College.

Northern Lakes College is a multi-campus college located in northern Alberta and is focused on providing relevant, quality programs through a distributed learning model serving over 6,000 students annually. NLC offers a wide range of certificate and diploma programs in Business, Health Sciences and Allied Health, Human Services, Technology, Trades, University Studies and Academic Upgrading to meet regional needs.

The College collaborates with Campus Alberta partners to offer degree completion opportunities throughout its service region, including a Bachelor of Education and a Bachelor of Social Work. Northern Lakes College also provides a wide variety of professional accreditation and certificate programs through its Continuing Education and Corporate Training Department. Northern Lakes College houses the Woodland Operations Learning Foundation (WOLF) to provide Forestry and related post-secondary and professional development programs.