School District 27 and Thompson Rivers University are working together on a joint proposal to establish a NITEP Field Centre at TRU’s Williams Lake campus.
NITEP is a University of B.C. program to provide teacher training opportunities for aboriginal people.
If successful in their application TRU would host the field training centre in Williams Lake from 2016 to 2020.
The School District 27 board approved the school district being involved in the joint proposal at its regular meeting Tuesday evening.
“School District 27 would offer educational placements and practicum opportunities for NITEP teacher candidates,” explained Superintendent of Schools Mark Thiessen.
“School District 27 will also work together with TRU and First Nations communities and organizations to recruit students for the program.”
The NITEP field program application would require 12 students who would take their teacher training through a blended program of face-to-face and online learning.
Weekend courses would be advantageous in allowing more people in the region to be involved in the program, said Director of Instruction Jerome Beauchamp.
He said there are a number of part-time First Nations language teachers working in the district now who might be interested in becoming certified as full-time teachers.