The week before Lethbridge College dispatched Garry Andrews to the Northwest Territories for five days of business training near Inuvik last February, the wind chill was pushing the “high” to -31C and the sun wasn’t rising until 11:13 a.m. Somebody’s retirement plan needs an adjustment.
When you sign up as an instructor for Lethbridge College’s Terry Royer Institute (Business Training and Development) you can find yourself stepping outside your comfort zone. Andrews, a former Palliser School Division superintendent, might once have envisioned sunny beaches when he retired; life had other ideas.
The college sent Andrews, who holds a doctorate in education, to deliver its Foundations of Leadership program to the Gwichya Gwich’in Band in the charter community of Tsiigehtchic, an hour southwest of Inuvik. As with many business opportunities these days, the band did an Internet search for “leadership training;” Lethbridge College topped the hit list.
Sean Miles, BTD program director, says he’s not surprised in the band’s desire for a leadership program. In his twice weekly visits to southern Alberta businesses, he finds the demand for leadership is a consistent theme.
“Leadership seems to be a universal demand,” says Miles. “It’s the largest challenge facing businesses today, from the shop floor to upper-level management. It’s about how you align your vision and goals.”
While businesses in Lethbridge College’s service area can easily arrange for training on campus or at their premises, communities in Canada’s far-flung locales have the challenge of isolation. But, as the Gwichya Gwich’in now know, the college delivers. Miles is hopeful the BTD leadership program will catch on, through Indian and Northern Affairs Canada, to other isolated northern communities.
“There’s a big demand, and we deliver it as they want it,” says Miles. “We plan to customize it even further to fit Aboriginal communities by making it a real-world experience for them.”
Flexibility is a byword for the BTD team, a feature that continues to delight its customers.
“Whatever you want, when you want it and how you want it,” says Miles. “It’s what gives us our competitive advantage. People are often surprised by that because it’s not what you expect from a post-secondary institution. We also have the credibility of a post-secondary institution.”
Deploying instructors with Andrews’ credentials is another competitive strength for BTD, an aspect Miles hopes to build.
“We’re lucky to have seasoned experts around us with considerable experience and credibility,” he says. “We are increasing our repertoire of instructors like Garry.”
BTD’s involvement with First Nations and Inuit communities is one of its priorities, and delivering Foundations of Leadership, well-known in southern Alberta, so far from 3000 College Drive is helping it develop connections in other regions of Canada.
Those who took Andrews’ week-long seminar developed opportunities for employment within their band, equipped with the leadership skills they’ll need in their community and throughout the Northwest Territories.
Now, if only Miles could find him a comfy week somewhere with a beach. . .
