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Canadian Rural Partnership
January 23-24, 2001
Chapleau, Ontario
ANNEX B — COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS' PRESENTATIONS
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Presentation 8 — Chapleau Education And Training Coalition (CETC)
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Representatives: | Karen Gauthier, Chairperson
Linda Bouchard
Chantale Rousseau
Joan Longchamps
Sheila Henderson
Buddy Swanson
Janet Hazen
Marty Peterson |
| Date: | Wednesday, January 24, 2001 |
BELOW IS THE WRITTEN BRIEF THAT WAS PRESENTED TO THE NORTHERN ONTARIO RURAL TEAM BY THE CHAPLEAU EDUCATION AND TRAINING COALITION REPRESENTATIVES.
What is the Chapleau Education and Training Coalition?
It is a working committee established 10 years ago to implement the community competence sector of the Chapleau Economic Development Strategy. A broad-based community consultation took place in 1991, which resulted in a comprehensive strategy for the Chapleau area. Many elements in the original strategy have been implemented and the EDC routinely updates the document to reflect changes in the external and internal environments
The CETC is a working sub-committee of the EDC whose purpose is to identify, co-ordinate and animate educational and training opportunities to foster life-long learning for the citizens of the Chapleau Area. We will provide you with a copy of our Terms of Reference as part of our written submission.
Who we are?
We are community volunteers representing the municipality, government agencies, economic development, training institutions that have a presence in the community, literacy, social services, aboriginal representatives, Francophone representation, our regional training board, business and industry.
A list of affiliation of the current CETC members will be provided in our handout. We meet monthly or as the need arises for effective networking and to plan and implement the projects we sponsor.
What do we do?
We have successfully lobbied to maintain the presence of Sault College and College Boreal in our community. We advised Community Social Services and the municipality of Chapleau on the creation of a JobLink Resource Centre. We submitted a brief on Chapleau becoming a part of the Timmins area training board...as a result, Chapleau is part of the Far North East Training Board. We have made local business and industry aware of training opportunities and have encouraged work experiences for High School students and youth seeking workplace placements.
What are we doing?
1. Literacy Centre
Our major project this year was to sponsor the establishment of a literacy centre to serve the needs of the Anglophone and Aboriginal communities. We submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities to partner with Focus On Learning from Wawa to open a centre in Chapleau. This centre will serve the needs of basic literacy in Levels 1 and 2 of the Literacy and Basic Skills program, a service lacking in Chapleau. A Francophone centre already exists in Chapleau (FormationPLUS). The Chapleau Learning Centre has been up and running since January. An official opening and Open House is planned for February 8.
2. Information Technology
We are working with the government and business partners to upgrade the Sault College community computer lab to state-of-the-art capacity in order to be able to offer the latest in information technology training. Letters of request for funding partners have been sent to major employers and aboriginal groups in order to apply for the Access to Technical Opportunities Program (ATOP) for our community. The deadline for this application is March 31, 2001.
3. Roundtable Forum
On November 14, 2000 we coordinated, in collaboration with the Far Northeast Training Board, a roundtable discussion on training needs and issues in the Chapleau area. Karen Gauthier, Chair of the CETC, will address the issues raised at that time.
4. Canadian Rural Partnerships Dialogue
We have participated in the Canadian Rural Partnership's Rural Dialogue since its inception. I, along with other representatives of the community, attended a meeting in Timmins, facilitated by KPMG, which was part of the initial consultation with rural and Northern Canadians. I have keenly followed the evolution of the initiative and I am struck at the number of priority areas identified which dovetail with the priorities of the Chapleau Education and Training Coalition.
a. Improve access to federal government programs and services for rural Canadians;
b. Improve access to financial resources for rural business and community development;
c. Strengthen rural community capacity, building leadership and skills development;
d. Connect rural Canadians to the knowledge-based economy and society and help them acquire the skills to use the technology;
e. Work with provincial/territorial governments to examine and pilot test new ways to provide rural Canadians with access to education at reasonable costs;
f. Foster strategic partnerships, within communities, between communities and among government(s) to facilitate rural community development; and
g. Promote rural Canada as a place to live, work and raise a family recognizing the value of rural Canada to the identity and well-being of the nation.
Chapleau Education and Training Issues
Accessing information and services. There is a gap in access to information and services available to help clients achieve their educational and training goals. We are trying to develop a centralized location for employment and educational counseling services. These services should be local. Appropriate referral protocols need to be established. We need to market these services to our community and its surrounding area.
In identifying the need for full-time employment and educational counseling services, we hope to marry these services to our Chapleau Resource Centre in order to offer a one-stop shopping place for the citizens of Chapleau seeking employment and/or educational assistance. Clients will require such services as assistance completing complex government and funding agency forms (e.g. OSAP, HRDC Career Action Plan, etc.) The process for applying for assistance is complicated and clients are intimidated by it.
Is there funding available to assist us in the implementation of a local Employment and Education Counseling Centre in order for Chapleau citizens to access Career Action Programs?
Literacy. A year and half ago, the Chapleau Campus staff of Sault College identified an educational gap in the Literacy and Basic Skills programs being offered in Chapleau. Anglophone services in Level 1 and Level 2 of the LBS program were needed to complement Sault College's LBS program in Levels 3 to 5 and FormationPLUS Francophone program in Levels 1 to 5.
By working with community stakeholders, the Far North East Training Board, the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities and Focus On Learning based in Wawa, the CETC has received MTCU funding to open the Chapleau Learning Centre as a pilot project until March 31, 2001. Interest in our centre is excellent. Since opening the doors to the Chapleau Learning Centre on January 8, we have 5 part-time students attending on a regular basis and have had several more inquiries. More students are anticipated to start before the end of January, and our volunteer group consists of 8 individuals to date.
We hope to secure funding for the 2001/2002 fiscal year from the Ministry of Training, Colleges and Universities, but funding dollars will not cover all our projected costs. Is there federal funding available for community literacy centres to enhance our provincial funding?
Barriers for clients. Training funds for clients receiving employment benefits from HRDC only cover 50% of training costs for full-time programs. Individual cases are assessed and negotiated for additional funding or if the training is on a part-time basis. Most clients cannot afford the other 50% of training costs and they don't have the negotiating skills to secure more funding or even have the knowledge that they can negotiate to secure more funding. Web-based online courses and distance education courses are not eligible under current guidelines. Our community would like the opportunity to provide on-going input into the establishment of these guidelines.
Social Services recipients who wish to attend a post-secondary institution out-of-town must apply for OSAP and lose all support from Social Services. If OSAP does not cover all tuition costs and living costs, clients are unable to go to school. Social Services will, currently, only cover educational costs up to Grade 12. Many full-time training programs could be available to clients in the community of Chapleau, but Social Services does not cover this type of training. Clients are left with very few options if they want to improve their education and follow a career goal.
The unemployed not receiving employment benefits or social services are, depending on their family income situation, often unable to afford today's educational costs. Many are unable to travel, move or buy a computer to take online courses. We want to help them reach their educational or employment goals too.
The reality for rural communities such as Chapleau is that part-time and long-distance learning are a way of life. Travelling is expensive and dangerous due to our long winters and abundant wildlife. The training costs for part-time courses are very expensive and financial assistance is not always available because the training is off-campus and part-time.
As a life-long learner who travelled every week to Sault Ste. Marie last year in order to complete a diploma program with Sault College, I can attest to family-related difficulties due to regular travel, daycare and other costs. Since relocating is not an option in my life right now I am taking web-based online courses this year in order to avoid travelling and to re-stabilize my family life that is centered around two young children and my husband. Fortunately, I am one of a few lucky individuals with access to an excellent retraining program through my employer. Most of the citizens in our rural community do not have access to such benefits when they wish to improve their educational or employment situation.
The CETC wishes to help the citizens of our community reach their employment or educational goals by eliminating these barriers to funding assistance. How can you help us?
Education and technology. More telecommunication technology is required for our community for local and distance education. A state-of-the-art computer lab is required to train individuals and businesses in the ever changing programs available today. We are working with Sault College and the Township of Chapleau to access ATOP funding to purchase a new computer lab. A total of $21,000 is required from business and industry in Chapleau for the government to match the dollars to purchase the required equipment. Finding 50% of the equipment cost is a difficult task for our small rural community. If we are unable to secure the funds, we will have to downgrade our equipment requirements or live without certain equipment or technology. This is not acceptable in today's high-tech world.
Securing this new technology will allow Chapleau to retain and enhance services available through the training institutions operating satellite campuses in our community. It is part of our mandate to maintain these educational services. Chapleau citizens and business operations also want and prefer to take their training locally.
Are there federally funded programs available for the purchase of new technological equipment for rural communities?
Summary
In conclusion, as members of the CETC, we have seen first-hand the difference that local training opportunities have on the quality of life for our citizens and for the progress of our community. We are, therefore, committed to working together with all partners to finding ways to assure that our citizens have access to life-long learning opportunities without having to leave for urban centres.
Discussion Notes
Accessing Information and Services: Ray Hemmerling, Ron Cantin and Karen Streich indicated that they would like to meet with the CETC that evening to discuss this project and to explore funding options.
Literacy: Ron Cantin indicated that the Ontario Trillium Foundation may be able to offer funding for the Literacy program on an interim basis.
Barriers for Clients: Suzanne Dupont indicated that an in-class, web-based course would have to be, at a minimum, 25 hours per week to be eligible for support from HRDC. She would, however, like to have more details about the community's training requirements.
Education and Technology: Ray Hemmerling suggested that the CETC could approach the regional Community Futures Development Corporation (CFDC) for funding for their computer lab. FedNor recently announced a Local Initiatives Fund which provides the CFDCs with a lump sum that they administer (as opposed to FedNor). FedNor provides up to $50,000 per community and the CFDC can provide up to $5,000 per project. The CFDC decides whether the project meets the criterion of being an economic development initiative.
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