 The program that I think I'm going to kind of speak to at this time is building capacity and community through construction trades. And so our partners here at TIRU are to ChemLoops as well as the MISKONLIFT band and this is the first time they've also partnered as well. So we submitted a proposal to the Ministry of Advanced Education and we were successful in receiving over a million dollars into the delivery of a program that incorporates essential skills, that incorporates people that have the skills in the communities without having their recognized government credentials. How do we get them to that place? As well as additional training within trades training that leads to industry training authority credentials, which do happen to ladder into degree programs as well. And so this program is just rolling out right now. We are looking at a target of over 80 students from each of those communities and the programs are being delivered in community. And so that has demonstrated that to us we've delivered many programs in communities our greatest success is when we can at least bring the beginning of the programs into communities and then our hopes are that those students will continue their education path here at TIRU or wherever they choose to go. And so in the case of this program we have significant supports built in. We have supports for elders. We have supports for ongoing tutors as well as instructors and then we're going to be incorporating cultural tradition and beliefs into trades training. So that's something that's kind of new for us as well too. So we're really excited we're at the forefront of this program and we see that over probably the last seven or eight years we've been delivering multiple programs in communities and seeing excellent success rates and seeing students coming to TIRU as well as finding success within their own communities as well and help with the economic development of their own communities as well as entrepreneurship opportunities as well. So that's a little bit about the program that we have going on right now and it's over three years. So for the past 12 years Compton Rivers University and School of Trades and Technology has been delivering a two-year diploma program in water and wastewater technology. So we were contacted by Indigenous Services Canada where they wanted water and wastewater operators that are operating their water systems in their first nation communities to have the education. So they liked our program, they liked all the courses, they liked the fact that they want to build this technological capacity within the communities and within the systems right because it's all about protection of human health and protection of the environment. So we have 198 first nation communities in British Columbia and we have students coming from every one of those communities in the last 12 years taking our education programs and training programs and basically what we have done in order, the reason we have had success is that we have built capacity within these each individual student to kind of come together and provide support for their fellow students. Then they go on and they come together to provide support and knowledge and capacity within their communities. So all I am doing and our school is doing is delivering the education and then we're building this capacity and this knowledge base and this technical knowledge with them that they can do this and then do things for themselves. So I've just created a fit, everything else is done by them and that is just the best. And it's so when we first came in most of the operate so there's a industry certification so most of the water operators were small water system operators because of our program and I don't know I can't I don't have data on it but because of our programs now we have operators that go up to the highest level which is level four and and because of our program the operators came together and formed this association called First Nation Operators Water Network and they therefore advocate for water systems, they advocate for community, they advocate for human health protection of the environment as well as their living conditions, their water system conditions, wages everything it's a huge advocacy organization that is arose and most of the people that started it are graduates for the program. So it has had like a huge benefit and then the other day we were told so we've had three intakes of these students so we deliver the diploma program on a part-time basis it takes four years to complete the diploma because these individuals our students are also operators in their community so they come on a part-time basis and finish the diploma in four years and then we were just recently asked to look at doing another intake so that would take us to six working with these communities for 16, 16 years it's called water and wastewater technology. And because of that you the communities end up with water this can be used. So what happens is that the money for the infrastructure or the system development is provided by Indian Northern Affairs or Indigenous Services Canada and we provide the training for the operators to run those systems effectively and then because there's a lot of boil water issues most of the boil water issues are in the communities because the water is not safe to drink because of the microbiological hazards. So right now in British Columbia there are 200 I don't have my data with me about 200 and so water systems and there are only 39 bowl water advisories and I can't say that's because of our program but it's slowly we're part of that reduction strategy and then in non-freshnation systems we have 4,800 small water systems where about 600 are bowl water advisory right. So the freshnation communities are doing excellent work on getting their bowl water notice, notice is reduced and the training and the education is all part of this this huge strategy. And is that wonder just reminded me of something as well with this program and the building of capacity and community through construction trades and the premise of that program was so first stations communities could build their own housing and so that's key we're seeing you know the greatest growth within the Indigenous communities here in the in the area and they need to be able to address their own housing issues and lack of funding has caused people living in squalor and they've been taken advantage of by some construction companies and this way it puts the power back into their hands again to be able to address their own needs within community as well as entrepreneurship opportunities. So maybe a comment before I maybe describe my take on that and that is that too often we provide the infrastructure of that investment to think that we solve the problem but we haven't solved the problem because there's no way to operate no we're trained to operate that equipment so it's not to unlike a technology solution comes into the institution but nobody can use this technology until they're trained and then that's an ongoing process to do that so here we're building capacity in terms of operators to be able to operate the equipment and keep it safe keep it maintained and so on the path that I wanted to focus on was what I'm approached on is not a specific program but an array of our trades programs by the industry in our area the industry have resource sharing agreements with the first nations and under those agreements there is a requirement for the diversification of their workforce and so they wish to diversify their workforce to have more indigenous peoples and more women indigenous people in their industries and they don't they don't have the skills to be able to do even some of the entry level positions to do that so we are putting on for example programs of women in trades and technology start getting them started in terms of the trades area to be able to make an enrol into some of those companies now when they do programs like that and others like heavy equipment operators operator these are short programs that a lot of the community and youth that have got the motivation that want to succeed they can do that these are weeks in terms of programs they get results within a few months not that you do something that is a you know much longer educational journey before you get there and so the good thing about being employed in those industries is that when an individual gets in then they get indentured as something called an apprentice and then when they become an apprentice they can become a carpenter many of the trades and become what's called red seal certified where they can now work anywhere across Canada across all the jurisdictions and take the credential with them and then further as had indicated earlier we actually have a degree here probably bachelor's in trades and technology leadership and so they get two years credit with that trades qualification towards that four-year degree so it is about I think working some of the programs are shorter in duration but skilled in terms of equipment operations and so on and getting people started in the industries the industries need those people in order to fulfill their resource sharing agreement so it's a win-win situation and furthermore of course is there is the community building as well in terms of the prosperity for the indigenous communities as well so it's a broader thing and it's a broader kind of initiative it applies to many of the trades programs it's not like a cohort of indigenous learners in just one area and by doing what we're doing we're basically helping multiple stakeholders you know achieve their success in their ranks and you know how we were talking about learning being both ways so in indigenous communities they have a model so what we have done when we create that center of excellence for BC small water system we are adapting that model to help other small water systems in British Columbia that are non-indigenous so that's and we are working and we're in progress of doing that right now well data of course completion rates exam results those are you know the obvious ones the ones that I think they get overlooked quite often maybe a student complete at that time but then they came back and they continued on with their education I think our vision for success sometimes is is quite short-term we need to look a little bit farther out to see what the impact of their experience in their education actually had on their lives and maybe those around them so it's that ripple out effect that you know that we speak about so often and it's all about systems as well too that small change that leave her here where did it affect who else did it affect it affect children did it affect parents other community members in many of our programs that are indigenous focus or specific and women entries we bring in others that have walked before them and that's when we hear about the true stories about success and so I think that narrative is is very very very important and when we start measuring success we need to start incorporating that qualitative you know data as well as the students going into trades technology education wonder asked why are you here and what's your success they're here for the number one reason they're here is is that they're after a career and create a success in their field so when an individual becomes employed that success for us there's success in other ways that we can measure as well but if I take the biggest overarching kind of success factor that's it and when I take that further to the indigenous communities I mentioned earlier that in those resource sharing agreements it's about the those industries being able to get the right people it's about having the right people in the right jobs at the right time is is that and so success for me is when somebody says I came to program I succeeded in the program and I'm now employed I'm personally satisfied in my career and and the fact that they have the opportunity can you continue to advance their their career the life journey and through the career so since we have social scientists in this this definitely quantitative data which is so easy to do but the qualitative data it's it tells incredible stories incredible incredible stories if we could sit here all day and talk about them and they'll make you cry we have the reports that we have to send to the ministry of advanced education on our programs you know that includes both the qualitative and the quantitative data and um some of the framework of the program etc where the successes were and I'd be happy to share those as well great because remember we're collecting our the narratives for the mining programs yeah I have to do it for all of my reporting for all the funds I get from the ministry of advanced ed so