Through a funding collaboration between the ilinniapaa Skills Development Centre (iSDC), Canadian North Airlines, and NWAC, 25 Inuit women and girls (aged 15 years and older) participated in a driver’s licence pre-employment training program from February 16 to March 31, 2023. Funding for participant costs was provided by Employment and Social Development Canada through the Indigenous Skills and Employment Training (ISET) Program.

The driver’s licence project helped Inuit women and girls get their Nunavut Class 7 (Learner’s Permit), Class 5 Unrestricted Permit, and/or Class 5 Restricted Permit. 

Two accredited driving instructors from Arctic Response Canada Ltd. were contracted by iSDC. Canadian North provided in-kind and cash contributions, which included the use of a vehicle for practice driving and exams, the costs of fuel and insurance, use of the Arctic College Lecture Hall, the costs for a graduation event and for an employment/careers session on March 30 in Iqaluit, Nunavut.

NWAC’s ISETs funding provided training stipends (including individual exam fees), childcare, transportation, and personal protective equipment. Before they can secure a full driver’s licence in Nunavut, residents must first obtain their Class 7 Learner’s Permit. This involves of 21 hours of in-class sessions to learn about the key signs, parts of the vehicle, the law regarding impaired driving (including an activity with sobriety goggles), and multiple practice tests. Program participants attended five three-hour evening sessions, as well as a 14-hour weekend session. An additional seven-hour review and prep session on February 18, was geared to participants who were unsuccessful in their first test.