MILESTONE FOR ABORIGINAL EMPLOYMENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

The Battlefords Chamber of Commerce has become the 40th partner in the province's Aboriginal Employment Development Program (AEDP). The partnership will assist the chamber in preparing Battlefords' businesses for the inclusion of more Aboriginal people in the workplace.

The chamber signed the partnership agreement with the province today during the first Provincial Aboriginal Representative Workforce Council conference.

"The Aboriginal Employment Development Program's goal is to ensure Aboriginal people have access to all job opportunities they wish to pursue by being fully informed, appropriately trained and qualified," Aboriginal Affairs Minister Ron Osika said at the signing ceremony in Saskatoon.

"The Battlefords Chamber of Commerce joins with the province and employers to engage Aboriginal people in the province's workplaces. In essence, this makes good business sense because of the large number of Aboriginal people in the Battlefords community."

The AEDP strives to build a workforce in Saskatchewan where Aboriginal people compete for jobs based on their skills and qualifications, and where they have representation at all occupational levels in proportion to their population numbers in the province.

"The Battlefords Chamber of Commerce is pleased to sign this partnership agreement with Government Relations and Aboriginal Affairs. One of the key business concerns identified by members of the Battlefords Chamber of Commerce is the need for a trained local work force. We see this agreement as a partnership to help develop a representative work force in the Battlefords, and to foster mutual respect, trust, open communication and understanding with the Aboriginal community. These achievements will result in economic benefits to all citizens of the Battlefords and area," Battlefords Chamber of Commerce President Karen Ulmer said.

Through the AEDP partnerships, employers have successfully hired more than 1,500 qualified Aboriginal people.

The Provincial Aboriginal Representative Workforce Council conference is a two-day event bringing together 400 people from business, unions, government, education and the Aboriginal community to focus on work being done to include the growing Aboriginal population in Saskatchewan's workforce.

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For More Information, Contact:

Anna Arneson Government Relations and Aboriginal Affairs Regina Phone: (306)787-8008 Email: aarneson@graa.gov.sk.ca