SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - Yellowknifer Josh Lippert has his eye on the sky, as he is set to enter his first year of a two-year Avionics Engineering Technology program in Alberta, and thanks to the government the cost will be a little less overwhelming.

Lippert received one of seven $5,000 student aviation industry scholarships given out by the GNWT's Department of Transportation Aviation Career Development Program on Aug. 27 at Adlair Aviation Ltd.'s Yellowknife hangar.

"It'll help a lot with tuition and rent. The living down there (in Edmonton) is going to be expensive," said Lippert, 23, who will be entering the two-year program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology.

Besides the scholarship, Lippert will be financing his education and living expenses through a student loan and on savings.

Lippert who was born in Ontario, previously lived in Inuvik for seven years and has spent the last 12 years in Yellowknife. He first became interested in a career in the aviation industry after working for two years as a baggage handler with Canadian North Airlines.

After graduation, Lippert said he's definitely planning on coming back to work in the North.

Other scholarship recipients included Jonathan Paul, 21, who will be attending the Springbank Air Training College in Alberta to train to be a commercial aircraft pilot and Bryce Styan, 23, who is also planning on becoming a commercial airline pilot. Styan is training at Harv's Air Pilot Training, Flight Training School in St. Andrews, Man. Devan Blacklock, 19, is going to Georgian College in Barrie, Ont. to study aviation management.

Brandon Gelinas, Kyla Zenko and Larissa Doyle also received the award but were unable to attend Friday's award presentation.

Ben Webber, assistant director of programs and standards with the Department of Transportation, said to be eligible for the scholarship - first introduced in 2001 - applicants must have lived in the Northwest Territories for the past two years and be enrolled or have confirmation of enrolment in a full-time approved aviation industry program.

Applicants must also write an essay describing their interest in pursuing a career in aviation and what they've done to prepare for their future career.

Recipients are given $2,500 per semester for one year. In order to receive a second $2,500 instalment, they must confirm they are still enrolled in the program. Students enrolled in multiple-year programs must re-enter the competition each year to receive the scholarship again.

The program is a partnership between the GNWT, Discovery Air and Adlair Aviation Ltd. There is $40,000 a year available for up to eight recipients, Webber said.

It is intended to give residents of the North an opportunity to look at the aviation industry as a possible career choice.

"They don't have to move to Edmonton or Toronto to use it. And that's something we want to encourage is people from the North being able to move into those roles that are so important for the people in the North," said Webber.

Even though retention of Northern workers is a goal of the program, Webber admitted applicants were not required to repay the scholarship if they chose not to return to the North after graduation.

"We haven't got that as a contractual obligation. We're using the 'word of the person' who has provided in the application and their indicated interest and plans to come back to the North."

Webber added that since the programs inception, about 75 per cent of applicants have returned to work in the North after graduating.

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