“Education is like a ladder… You've got to climb up and take a good look around to know where you are going,” said Lt.-Gov. Steven Point.

He was speaking in January to the first graduates of the aboriginal construction program at Vancouver Island University. The trainees had spent the past several months helping to build Shq’apthut that will soon be a gathering place for First Nations students at VIU’s Nanaimo campus.

Students not only gained trade skills through the program; there was also a strong cultural component in the program including making paddles and drums. One of the students – Edward Johnson, 32, of Nanaimo – said: “Having a drum helped us recognize where we come from and the paddle recognizes the journey we are on.”

The program was delivered by Coast Salish Employment Training Society’s Bladerunners apprenticeship project.

Phase one of Shq’apthut: A Gathering Place is expected to be completed by this summer at a cost of $2.2 million. It includes a student lounge, an elders lounge and office space. Fundraising is continuing for phase two of the project that includes office space, landscaping and a ceremonial hall.