Grads complete carpentry program

Six students marked a major milestone in Kahnawake’s education offering this week, after becoming the first cohort of Quebec ministry-certified graduates in carpentry, thanks to a course offered by the First Nations Regional Adult Education Centre (FNRAEC).

“It makes me proud as a First Nations school to see something like this available in our community and for our students, for our community members to not have to leave the community to actually obtain this certification,” said Cheryl Deer, who is in charge of admissions to the carpentry program at the FNRAEC.

“It’s a great sense of accomplishment that we’re capable of doing this. It makes us think, what more can we offer?”

Hunter Deer, Tekerahwake Deom, Kanonsase Jacobs, James Nolan, Owen Rice, and Cora Stacey are expected to receive full ministry certification for their work in the program, becoming the first students in Kahnawake to earn a Diplome d’etudes professionnelles (DEP) with the FNRAEC.

FNRAEC has previously offered two Attestation d’etudes professionnelles (AEP) courses in carpentry - licenses for these programs were not initially offered to First Nations communities, and the First Nations Adult Education School Council (FNAESC) had to lobby to secure the licenses in 2023 and 2024.

After pushing further, the FNRAEC was given a license to offer the first DEP in carpentry in the community - a DEP is a more thorough program cumulating in a vocational diploma, whereas an AEP is a fast-tracked specialized training to prepare students for in-demand jobs.

Offering a DEP in Kahnawake is a big step, said Deer, and will allow for more students to pursue vocational training in the community, ultimately creating more generations of carpenters that can grow Kahnawake’s economy and work locally.

“I think it’s about time that we are actually able to do this here,” she said. “It’s a good sense of reassurance that we’re going to be able to keep the resources right here and utilize the resources in our community.”

Community member Daniel Phillips was the instructor for the course, sharing his knowledge from nearly three decades in the carpentry field. Phillips himself previously completed his Recognition of Acquired Competencies (RAC) certification with the FNRAEC.

He worked with students over nearly two years, completing their AEP and the DEP components of their studies with them.

“For years, all the guys my age and older, even the guys that trained me, have been talking about the shortage of construction workers in town, ever since Kahnawake Survival School (KSS) cut their carpentry program, we lost about three generations of potential carpenters and tradesmen in the community,” he said.

“It’s a big, big need, and it’s an important thing to have people properly trained, because this gives them a whole lot more skills, confidence, and ability.”

He said he’s proud to see how far the students have come over the course and hopes that it’ll open more doors for other vocational training.

“We need support for the community, because this is a major milestone, way more than people understand,” Phillips said.

Carina Deere, director of the FNRAEC said that the success of the DEP program is evidence of the hard work graduates put in - courses were offered during the evening, and many students worked during the day before completing their FNRAEC classes in the evening.

“It’s such a great feeling knowing that we can help generate the workforce here in Kahnawake. I’m already looking down the road, and we need plumbers, we need electricians; there’s so much labour that we need so we’ll be pushing to get licenses in those areas as well,” she said.

“My hope is to one day have a vocational training centre and whatever the community wants is what we would try to get the licenses for.”

FNRAEC will be offering more programs for carpentry students in the near future – for more information, students should contact the centre directly.

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