Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation

Education, Employment & Training

carousel6Norton Sound Economic Development Corporation (NSEDC) invests in residents’ education and career goals, understanding that strengthening individuals also strengthens our communities in ways that hit more than just economics. With economic development as our guide, NSEDC provides education, employment and training opportunities for the residents in our 15 member communities in a multitude of ways.

Education

NSEDC offers scholarships to students enrolled full-time at an accredited college, university or vocational school. These scholarships provide supplemental funds for higher education or vocational training in the amount of $2,500 per semester or training session.

The NSEDC Board of Directors feels one of the best ways to stimulate economic development in the Norton Sound region is to invest in the education of our residents. This investment helps enable residents to obtain the education required to qualify for jobs available in the region that would otherwise be filled by outside expertise. From 1992 to 2014, the NSEDC Scholarship Committee, on behalf of the NSEDC Board of Directors, has awarded more than $7 million in scholarships.

NSEDC is one of five organizations that provides an all-in-one application for students in the Norton Sound region. Through MyCache (Combined Application for College & Higher Education), students fill out one application that includes a few added question unique for each scholarship.

Employment

The NSEDC EET Program also works to connect residents to employment opportunities with many of our industry partners, including jobs under NSEDC, Norton Sound Seafood Products, and CDQ partners including Glacier Fish Company (GFC), and Siku Holdings (Aleutian No. 1 and Patricia Lee).  Glacier Fish Company employs successful trainees, who are certified from AVTEC in Seward. NSEDC provides internship opportunities under NSEDC, GFC, Kawerak, Inc., and the Alaska Department of Fish & Game among others. In addition, NSEDC promotes employment opportunities in the Bering Sea fisheries. For interested seafood processors who prefer to work on land, jobs are available with companies like Westward Seafoods and Icicle Seafoods.

NSEDC works with GFC, who harvests our allocation of pollock in the Bering Sea with the F/T Pacific Glacier and the F/T Alaska Ocean. A significant portion of our crab holding are harvested by Siku Holdings, which includes the vessels Aleutian No. 1 and Patricia Lee.

Training

Realizing that commercial fishing in Alaska is an occupation with inherent risks, NSEDC invests heavily in the safety of our seafood processors. Since 1992, NSEDC has sponsored an eight-day Fisheries Safety Orientation Class at the Alaska Vocational Technical Education Center (AVTEC) in Seward.

All expenses for transportation, food, lodging, and tuition for trainees are paid by NSEDC. In compliance with the U.S. Coast Guard Zero Tolerance law, all trainees must submit to a drug screen urinalysis with negative results and abstain from alcohol. The certified seafood processors of this program are eligible for hire by Glacier Fish Company of Seattle and other trawler companies and seafood employers on sea and/or on land. During the training, Glacier Fish Company human resources personnel from Seattle interview trainees for possible employment. Each trainee must have two pieces of identification to work on the high seas, a picture identification (i.e. Alaska Driver’s License, Alaska State identification) and a birth certificate or Social Security card.

NSEDC’s Community-Based Training program has sponsored several educational opportunities in our member communities:

  • Global Positioning System (GPS) training
  • Marine Crew Safety training
  • AMSEA Drill Instructor training
  • Sled building
  • Inupiaq language
  • Beading
  • Skin sewing
  • CPR and First Aid
  • QuickBooks
  • Crab pot building
  • Driver’s license and CDL training
  • Traditional bowl and spoon making
  • HAZWOPER training

These training opportunities are available upon request from the communities. A minimum of 10 interested residents is required before the training can be approved. Please read the Community Based Training Guidelines for information on how to request such training classes.

Depending on their positions, Norton Sound Seafood Product personnel have received training in OSHA Safety Regulations, Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Point, Refrigeration, Quality Control, and Operator of Uninspected Passenger vessel (OUPV) or six-pack license.

For more information contact: Niaomi Brunette at 907.274-2248 or 800.650.2248.

NSEDC