Effective January 2022, the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) will be amending the Trade Entrance Requirements.

Each designated trade in the Northwest Territories (NWT) has specific educational requirements that prospective apprentices must meet before signing an apprenticeship contract.  The Trades Entrance Requirements require one of three options: the completion of specific high school courses; a mark of 70% or higher in the Trades Entrance Exam; or completion of all five Canadian General Educational Development (GED) tests.

Diploma Exams and Alberta Achievement Tests (AATs) have been disrupted in the Northwest Territories (NWT) over the last two school years due to COVID-19. While recognizing the learning impacts the pandemic has had on students, and balancing the importance of monitoring the education system as a whole, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) will administer these tests with accommodations for the 2021-2022 school year.

These accommodations include: 

The Department of Education, Culture and Employment is currently accepting applications for the Indigenous Language Revitalization Scholarship.

Scholarships of $5,000 will be awarded to help students offset the costs of completing a certificate, diploma, degree program, or other training that supports Indigenous language revitalization.

 The Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre (PWNHC) re-opened on October 30 and is announcing the extension of the Treaty 11 Document Exhibit until November 21, 2021.

The document, which is in booklet form, has been on display at the PWNHC since September, with a page turned every week to provide the public with the opportunity to see each signatory page.

Due to the recent COVID-19 outbreak in Yellowknife, Behchokǫ̀, Ndilǫ, and Dettah, the PWNHC was temporarily closed to the public, pausing the weekly page turning of the document.

R.J. Simpson, Minister of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE), met virtually with education leaders on Oct. 19 to discuss the ongoing school closures amid the COVID-19 outbreak in the Northwest Territories (NWT). Minister Simpson also provided updates on major ECE initiatives to improve student outcomes in the NWT.

The Department of Health and Social Services, in conjunction with the Department of Education, Culture and Employment, is introducing a new COVID-19 at-home student screening program to help protect the unvaccinated NWT student population (ages 5-11).

Given the unique and significant impact of the recent COVID-19 restrictions and containment orders on the Northwest Territories (NWT) economy and labour market, the Department of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) has created the Labour Market Recovery Wage Grant to support NWT employers in response to the pandemic.

The Northwest Territories (NWT) Arts Council has added two new members to the council following its first public call for nominations in May 2021.

The new council members began their two-year terms with the NWT Arts Council effective September 9, 2021. The new members are:

Proposals are now being accepted for NWT Art Council funding for artists and organizations that are producing artistic works, projects, or events in the Northwest Territories (NWT) between April 2022 and March 2023.

Application deadline: October 31, 2021 at 5 p.m. (MST)

The maximum funding amount is $15,000 and funding must be spent by March 31, 2023. In response to COVID-19, proposals that include online presentations or showcases will be accepted.

The NWT Arts Strategy 2021-2031 was released today by the departments of Education, Culture and Employment (ECE) and Industry, Tourism and Investment (ITI). The new strategy provides the Government of the Northwest Territories (GNWT) with renewed priorities for the continued growth and prosperity of the creative sector for the next decade.

ECE and ITI work closely to support and promote artists and the arts in the Northwest Territories (NWT).