Made in Nunavut: building Inuit skills for northern offshore fisheries and beyond
This case study analysis focuses on skills training for Nunavut’s commercial offshore fisheries, but the lessons learned are applicable to Nunavut’s inshore fisheries, broader marine sectors, and other Northern industries.
Document Highlights
Nunavut’s economy is largely dependent on mining and public administration. But the territory’s commercial fishery and associated marine capacity has continued to grow over the past two decades.
Made in Nunavut: Building Inuit Skills for Northern Offshore Fisheries and Beyond explores the Nunavut Fisheries and Marine Training Consortium’s (NFMTC) unique made-in-Nunavut approach to training and forging career paths for Inuit in Northern marine sectors. Our case study analysis is particularly focused on skills training for Nunavut’s commercial offshore fisheries, but the lessons learned are applicable to Nunavut’s inshore fisheries, broader marine sectors, and other Northern industries. It also examines the current challenges NFMTC must face to help Nunavut’s Inuit-driven fisheries grow sustainably beyond their current limitations.
By providing Inuit with valuable skills for careers in an emerging regional industry, NFMTC’s approach and story combine to provide an informative case study on how to support sustainable livelihoods in the North.
Key findings
The Nunavut Fisheries and Marine Training Consortium (NFMTC) plays a pivotal role in training Nunavummiut for employment in the Northern fisheries and broader marine sectors, with spillover benefits for other sectors.
NFMTC’s made-in-Nunavut approach to skills development teaches employers how to design culturally appropriate training for fundamental labour force skills. It is also opening up meaningful career paths for Northern Indigenous workers.
Persistent skills gaps and structural challenges must be overcome to unlock the full potential of Nunavut’s offshore fishery and Indigenous marine capacity.