Exploring Exploration

Photosandwords byKelseyEliasson

on a cold day this February, five young Inuvialuit headed north, bouncing along the ice road from Inuvik to Tuktoyaktuk in an old school bus. It was a long trip, almost three hours up the frozen Mackenzie, a river first referred to by its namesake as ‘the big disappointment’. h owever, today was to be about big opportunity.

The students’ destination was the a rctic star base station, part of MGM Energy’s exploration efforts, located where the Mac kenzie Delta meets the Beaufort Sea. It was the final day of the Youth Entry Level s kills program ( y EL s), with the Beaufort-Delta Education Council.

Each year, the oil and Gas component of y EL s brings together a maximum of fifteen students from across the region to Inuvik, to learn about a career in the oil and gas industry. students between the ages of fourteen to twenty-one stay in Inuvik for four weeks. Led by austin a bbot, s kills Coordinator with the Beaufort-Delta Education Council, y EL s covers a wide range of topics related to the industry, including procedures and regulations for the industry, how oil and gas is formed, exploration techniques and drilling operations. There are three weeks of class work followed by a week of job shadowing. The course concludes with a field trip out to the MGM drilling rig.

This field trip provided our students with a little taste of what life is like on a drilling site. Students first had a safety briefing at Veri-Illuq then one more at a rctic star. s afety is paramount, stressed both throughout the course and at the site. Life on a drill rig is about keeping employee risk to a minimum. s afety measures range from workplace risk reports to an industry-wide zero tolerance policy for drug and alcohol use.

Walking up to the rig, it was clear that respect for the environment is important as well. The only time the ground was actually disturbed was when the crew drilled, or when they anchored barges; the rest of the time they worked on ice pads. Environmental policies ranged from drip traps beneath all vehicles to recycling aerosol cans and plastic bottles to minimize disturbance to a pingo near the drill site. By the time the permits expire in mid- a pril, the rigs and camp would be pulled up and almost no trace would remain.

The students watched the drill in action from the operations room, before continuing through the drill site. o ne of the workers, a graduate of the y EL s program, popped his head through the door and shook austin’s hand. h e was an example of the success of the o il and Gas program.

Wayne Ross, regional manager with Veri-Illuq Geophysical and one of the hosts of this field trip, is a strong supporter of the program. Veri-Illuq has been involved with YELS since the beginning. ‘Austin is phenomenal. This is a great program,” said Wayne. “It has the full support of the oil and gas industry. o il and gas is not the only industry to look at, but the oil and gas program provides real building blocks for the future, whatever your goals.’

Each summer, Veri-Illuq offers YELS students the opportunity to fly out to the well-site for a final inspection and clean-up. Wayne explained, "It gives the students an idea of the actual impact of this industry, and a chance to be physically involved in preserving their land. Plus, the helicopter flight really gives you a good feel for the delta."

This year, the entire y EL s program was comprised of Inuvialuit students. Dustin Gordon-Ruben, Vanessa Anakina and Dana Illasiak, all from p aulatuk, keisha Bernhardt from Inuvik and a klavik’s Edward McLeod all received their certificates at a small graduation ceremony in Inuvik.

The p aul steen award, which is presented each year, was awarded to Edward McLeod. This award is in memory of a very special and talented student from Tuktoyaktuk, who attended the program in 2003-04. s oon, the plaque will return from fort Mac p herson, and be on display in a klavik h igh s chool for the coming school year.

The other students spoke too, commenting on the positive atmosphere and coming up with the general consensus that the oil and gas program was ‘great’. Whether or not they pursue a career in this industry, these four weeks have opened up their options and helped them with a career plan.

Wayne’s concluding remarks at the ceremony mirror the program’s goals. h e said, “It’s important to remember that whenever you do something, there will be people to help you…Be positive, stay special and work hard. When you need help, ask for it.” h e continued, "This was a really good group of kids this year. really worthwhile...I feel privileged to work with these students. Whatever their path, they have a very bright future.” h e added, “…and come see me if you ever need work!” after the ceremony, it was hugs and handshakes all around. a sked if they were excited to get back to p aulatuk, the response was mostly a smile and jokingly, “I think there’s a blizzard there right now.” s miles have been seen a lot over the course.

Then students headed out, stopping for some last minute packing, grabbing a few Café Gallery muffins for the trip and then to the airport. It was time to head home; not much older but a lot wiser.