As the territory is awaiting and preparing for the arrival of Syrian refugee families, a program geared at assisting Canadian immigrants with settling into new communities and finding work will no longer be available.

Yukon College has decided to stop offering its enhanced language training program for newcomers to Canada after this year, according to a statement released today.

The decision to cut the class came as a result of rising costs to deliver the course and not enough funding from Citizenship and Immigration Canada (CIC) to level the expense.

“The funding received to run the program falls short of the annual program costs, and the college is therefore unable to enter into a new contract,” said Michael Vernon, a spokesperson for college.

In the last fiscal year, the college received $119,245 in financing from the federal government and $40,792 from the Yukon government’s Community Training Fund for the program.

The $160,000 in funding accounted for about 75 per cent of what it costs to run the classes – approximately $211,000.

The free 15-week course is designed for Canadian immigrants who may have previous work experience, but might not have the resources or connections to land new careers in the territory.

It hones in on workplace skills such as computer techniques, employment interview training and workplace culture and communication – and hosts guest speakers and takes students on an assortment of field trips to prepare them for job readiness.

In addition to the lack of financial assistance, Margaret Dumkee, the Dean of Applied Science and Management at Yukon College, says the course might be better suited to be offered from a community group or non-governmental organization.

“In most other jurisdictions, across the country, the enhanced language training program is hosted by community organizations, not post-secondary institutions,” Dumkee said.

“We believe such an arrangement would be a better fit for our community as well.”

Dumkee indicated that the college would be willing to assist with the transfer of the program, which could include sharing the curriculum and how the college administered the course.

It will be up to CIC to choose any new potential partners for the course.

“Our position is that it’s not our program,” Vernon said.

According to CIC’s website, the program is offered at colleges throughout British Columbia, Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Prince Edward Island.

The enhanced language training program is not offered in Nunavut, the N.W.T. nor Quebec.

There are about six or seven students enrolled in the current session, Dumkee said.

The students will complete the course and, as of January, it will not continue.

“The program does do a lot of good,” she said.

“A lot of people have found their place partially because of this program.”

But there is no way of telling whether the incoming Syrian refugees will have lost a resource in the territory or not.

Dumkee said CIC has very restrictive criteria for who can get into the program.

“It may or may not have assisted the immigrants we are welcoming to Canada now.”

The program has been offered twice a year since 2006.

About 160 people have completed it in the Yukon.

The English as a Second Language courses will still continue at the college.