THUNDER BAY – Many youth struggle to enter the workforce, needing previous work history to land that pivotal first job but they often can’t obtain that valuable experience unless they catch a break from a prospective employer.
That difficulty is particularly compounded for Indigenous youth, who often don’t have education and other development programs available in their communities.
As many as 150 Indigenous youth will get a chance to get over some of those hurdles through a $3 million contribution from the federal government’s Skills Link program to the Nokiiwin Tribal Council, a non-profit organization that provides social and community services to six Northwestern Ontario Indigenous communities.
“For youth in communities, it’s even very difficult to access education,” Nokiiwin Tribal Council executive director Audrey Gilbeau said on Friday, when the funding was announced.
“Having to leave home can be a huge challenge. Many of them just end up going back home where they have support. Having this initiative take place in the communities is very, very important and it’s incredibly meaningful.”
The federal government’s Skills Link program provides training and development opportunities along with work experience for individuals between the ages of 15 and 30 who either aren’t working or aren’t enrolled in school.
Employment Minister Patty Hajdu, who made the announcement, said skills development is a key way to level the playing field for Indigenous people who often don’t get included in the country’s prosperity.
“They really struggle to get into that job market and employers will be looking for paid experience on their resume that indicates they’ve had some experience in the workforce. Without that paid experience they can’t move forward,” Hajdu said.
“This project will provide not just the skills training they need and some of the coaching and life skills but also resume building, interview skills and also provide them with a paid experience that they can use on their resume as evidence they’ve had that work experience.”
Gilbeau said the project will be led by a teacher and multiple site facilitators who are trained in life skills coaching and will also include a cultural component.
Instilling self-belief to people who may feel like they don’t have any options is especially valuable, Hajdu added.
“They feel demoralized, don’t have the confidence and aren’t certain how to go about building themselves up or using the skills they have,” Hajdu said.
“What’s great about programs like Nokiiwin is they are skills based and work with young people to identify what their strengths are and attributes are and how they can actually present them to employers.”
As well, MPP Michael Gravelle (Lib., Thunder Bay-Superior North) also announced $843,000 over three years for Nokiiwin’s G’minoodaadozimin’s initiative through the province’s Ministry of Labour to improve health and safety training.
That funding is targeted to provide hands-on training in the communities, focus on prevention, develop tools to foster a respectful workplace and provide training for youth within the school system and promote awareness before they start jobs.
“The most dangerous time for workers is often the first job they get,” Gravelle said. “It’s important that when people go to their first job they’re as safe as possible and understand what the dangers are involved in the kind of work going forward.”
Nokiiwin represents Fort William First Nation, Gull Bay First Nation, Pic Mobert First Nation, Sandpoint First Nation, Rocky Bay First Nation and the Lake Nipigon Ojibway.
