20. Responding to the Needs of the Future Today After 30 years of growing and responding to the needs of Aboriginal learners, it is evident that the NORTEP/PAC programs have effected deep and profound change in the personal lives of graduates, and these changes have rippled out, reaching widely into the communities, impacting the socio-economic conditions of the northern regions of Saskatchewan. NORTEP/PAC tells a story of innovation, determination and impact; and also a story of decolonization, selfdetermination, and development. NORTEP/PAC has transformed the human resources situation in the North. The institution’s educational, cultural, administrative, and socioeconomic impacts are strongly evident. It has responded to community and learner needs for geographic and cultural accessibility, for participation by parents and surrounding community in the education system, and for students to model themselves after their Aboriginal role models in education and other careers. NORTEP promotes and preserves language and culture, producing teachers who are speakers of both the Dene and Cree languages, and who reflect the culture of the students in their classrooms. A high percentage of NORTEP graduates teach in their home communities. Thus, NORTEP and NORPAC programs have minimized institutional and personal barriers to Aboriginal participation in education and the world of salaried employment. The innovative organizational and administrative solutions designed to navigate resistance and maintain self-determination, have also served to decolonize its educational structure, contributing to a culture that is unique and supportive, and an environment that is sensitive to the tensions involved in creating links between the economy and education, while preserving and promoting language and culture. Though economy and employment could be construed as a colonizing influence, exclusion from economic participation and unemployment would surely be more oppressive. Thus there is great need for these programs to continue to develop and grow to meet the demands of the North. NORTEP/PAC is committed to evolving with the North. Thus, while NORTEP/PAC have done much to improve conditions in the North, there is still an urgent call for further development in response to the needs of northerners, as well as the future needs of the labour market. NORTEP/PAC recognizes that intervention strategies must be implemented to stop the drainage of resources from less populated areas, to enrich, include, and invite participation in economic benefits. NORTEP/PAC also recognizes a call to respond to growing northern needs and further development of educational opportunities. Three areas of critical need, linked to the labour market, are most apparent:
teachers specializing in math and science secondary teachers, and careers outside of teaching.
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