This case study looks at a work readiness program developed by Bow Valley College in Calgary, Alberta, for Inuvialuit young people. The Inuvialuit are Inuit people who live in Canada’s western Arctic region.

The program, developed and delivered in 2007-2008, was built on a framework of Essential Skills and focused on helping individuals who had limited past success at work to be better prepared for work or for further work-related training. The program also focused on preserving Inuvialuit cultural identity and values within a changing northern society, and ensuring that the Inuvialuit would be equal participants in the northern and national economy.

Topics covered included such life skills as living away from home; banking and budgeting; preparing for job interviews; and understanding workplace documents.

All participants in the initial pilot improved their Essential Skills scores, based on the Test of Workplace Essential Skills (TOWES). Everyone who completed the program either found a job or went back to school. Even those students who did not complete the program gained skills that they can use in the workplace.

This report is one of a series of case studies on adult learning.