Vanier College Provides Training to Educators from Nunavik Region

A group of educators from various Nunavik communities have completed a week-long workshop at Vanier College. The sessions, which ended on Friday, June 14th, were designed to provide information regarding best practices for educators working as behaviour and special education technicians.

The workshops are part of the Kativik Project, an agreement signed between Vanier College and the Kativik Ilisarniliriniq school board to develop a formal and recognized certification for behavior technicians and special education technicians from 14 communities in Nunavik.

The workshop aimed to introduce the various models being used in schools and explore strategies that can be applied in their schools within their role as behavior technicians or special education technicians. Participants came from various Nunavik communities, including Kuujjuaq, Inukjuaq, Puvirnituq, and Kangiqsualujjuaq. Vanier Special Care Counselling Department faculty members Joanne Douranou, Susan Layne and Colleen Leonard presented the workshops.

“Vanier College is extremely proud of this joint project. It was an enormous learning experience for participants as currently, the technicians work in their positions with little to no formal training and this project aims to fill that gap,” said Vanier’s Director General John McMahon.

The primary objective is to provide culturally sensitive curriculum that is adapted to focus on the particular needs of the the Kativik Ilisarniliriniq school board. The project is fully funded by the Kativik Ilisarniliriniq School Board. This is a recognition of the quality work done by the teachers of this program.

Vanier’s Continuing Education faculty is aiming to develop a certification that will have some of the competencies found in the Special Care Counselling (SCC) Diploma of College Studies (DCS). Throughout the last year, efforts focused on exploring the needs and delivery of preliminary workshops and initial curriculum development. The coming year will focus on defining the prerequisites and finalize the format. It is hoped participants that complete the certification and wish to complete the SCC Attestation or Diploma of College Studies (ACS or DCS) will have advanced standing as most credits will be transferrable.

Future training will be carried out mostly in the northern communities and directly in the schools where the participants work. Intensive week-long training will likely occur biannually in June and August.