A piece of technology that integrates traditional knowledge of sea ice with remote monitoring technology has become a medium to employ and train at-risk youth.

SmartICE which is operated out of Choices for Youth social enterprise location, is the centre of the operations.

The company builds, trains and employs young people in St. John’s and remote areas such as Nain, Labrador.

The technology that measures the thickness of sea ice and local ice conditions is shipped to Nain where community members are trained to use the equipment and up keep it.

Rory Lambert, employment and training lead at Choices for Youth Department of Education, Employment and Social Enterprise, was one of the people who flew to Nain to watch it all unfold.

He says he went there with an open mind, let the youth teach him about their community and in exchange he offered them employment skills and resume builders.

SmartICE say they blend modern technology with traditional knowledge and at Choices for Youth, they have a similar approach. He says they want to find out what youth member’s paths are and they want to help them choose how to approach that path.