Whether you are in the north or in the south of the province, when it comes to training programs that will lead to both meaningful and gainful employment, there is no better place to look at what is in demand than on Emploi Quebec’s head-ingforsuccess.com website.

Because there are so many different trade programs available but not all of them are hiring in every region, the government has streamlined the system so that all you need to do is click on your region to discover what is in demand and where it can be studied.

Granted, at the moment the Cree School Board is doing everything it can to provide technical training in all of its regions in fields that are in demand. However, there is also a demand for people in select fields like registered nurses or butchers and meat cutters for retail or wholesale industries and the only places to study in these fields at present is by going south.

When this situation arises and individuals have both the requirements to get into the programs and the drive to complete them, the Cree School Board can sponsor individuals to move to a city centre in order to take these courses.

“They do not get funding if the program is offered in the Cree communities but they can come in the south and study if it is not offered there,” explained Louise Ostiguy of the Cree School Board in Montreal. “We can sponsor them as long as it is a course that is recognized by the Ministry of Education.”

By “recognized,” she means whether a course is a formalized program offered by the province such as DEC or a Baccalaureate, a Masters degree or any other variety of course that is recognized by the ministry.

If you are interested in heading south to study a recognized program, just about everything you need to know is already on the Cree School Board website, posted under pedagogical services under post secondary services. The only possible snag to the deal is that funding is contingent on whether a student passes their course.

“We check to see if they are succeeding in their courses, and we have to make sure that they succeed because there is money attached to it and if the student does not do their job as a student we can’t sponsor them any longer,” said Ostiguy.

On the following page is a list of just a handful of some of the many fields of employment that are in demand in the Northern Quebec region.

Nursing:

Nursing is one of the most in-demand professions in North America. So, if you are interested in travelling or if you want to care for your community to a whole new level, nursing is a great way to go. And, for as much as doctors may come in and perform great feats, very little of what they do could happen without the aid of a nurse as they are the first level of patient treatment, making them absolutely indispensable to the health-care system.

In Quebec, nursing is offered as a three-year technical training program at various CEGEPs. The three institutions that offer this program are Dawson College and John Abbott College, both located in Montreal, and at Heritage College in the Outaouais region. Though nursing is not exactly a career for everyone as it is both physically and intellectually demanding, those who are a good fit for the trade will have limitless employment possibilities and according to Emploi Quebec the average nurse in the province makes approximately $43,000 annually. For more program information go to:http://www.cegep-heritage.qc.ca/Programs/Nursing/nursing-intro.htmhttp://dc

3 7. dawsoncoilege.qc. ca/nursing/http://www.johnabbott.qc.ca/7BC74155A-5523-4ADD-A38D-867348FEE4F5Butchers and meat cutters, for retail and wholesale:

If you have a propensity for both meat and knives, are hyper -conscious about cleanliness and have an interest in nutrition, why not become a butcher? The job is frequently autonomous, and requires some heavy lifting but for those that like the idea of de-boning meat with razor-sharp knives, slicing cutlets to perfection and making neighborly suggestions on how to cook that fresh cut roast to customers, the job can be heaven. The butcher / meat cutter trade has only been available in English in Quebec since 2004 when a 900-hour program opened up at Centre de formation FG/FP Pearson in Montreal. The job prospects for this trade are fantastic in just about any region in the province and graduates from this program can work in a slaughterhouse, a supermarket, a butcher shop or meat-pro-cessing plant. The average salary for a butchery specialist is between $24,000 and $27,000. For more info on this specific trade and the school go to:www.clickvoc.qc.ca/butchery.html or call (514) 363-6213.

Drafting Technologists and Technicians (Draftsman):

If you are the kind of person who has a flair for design in a technical sense, like to draw both freehand and on computer-assisted programs, are mathematically inclined and meticulous, there are plenty of positions opening up in Northern Quebec for drafting technologists and technicians. They are the folks who prepare engineering designs, drawings and related technical information, in multidisciplinary engineering teams or in support of engineers, architects or industrial designers, or they may work independently. With a certificate in this field graduates can expect to be employed by consulting and construction companies, utility, resource and manufacturing companies, all levels of government and by a wide range of other establishments. The only English programs available in Quebec are offered at Vanier College and at the West Island Career Centre and both offer three-year DEC programs. According to Emploi Quebec, the average drafting technologists and technicians earn approximately $36,000 and the job prospects are excellent all over the province.

For more information on the individual programs go to: http://www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/academics/bset.html http://www.pearsonskills.com/wicc

2/infoprograms.asp

Early Childhood Educators and Assistants:

If you like young children and have the energy to run around after them full time, why not consider a career as an early childhood educator or a teacher’s assistant. This field entails planning activities for preschool-age and school-age children to help them learn and stimulate their developing minds. Offered at both Vanier College in Montreal and Heritage College in the Outaouais region, this course is designed to equip you with all of the necessary skills to work in child-care centres, kindergartens, nursery schools and centres for exceptional children as a day care worker, co-ordinator or assistant. Both programs are offered as three-year DEC programs and the average person in this field makes approximately $20,000, according to Emploi Quebec.

For more information on the individual programs go to: www.cegep-heritage.qc.ca/Programs/ECCE/ECCE_Program.htm www.vaniercollege.qc.ca/academics/ece.html