SKILLS TRAINING FOR NORTHERN ABORIGINAL PEOPLE

Increased funding for a skills training program will help equip Aboriginal people in northern Saskatchewan for jobs in the oil sands industry. Carol Skelton, Minister of National Revenue and Minister of Western Economic Diversification, and Saskatchewan Industry and Resources Minister Eric Cline announced the investment today.

With $755,000 in funding from the federal and provincial governments, the Job Horizons program will continue to deliver employment success stories through the frontline work of the Aboriginal Human Resources Development Council of Canada (AHRDCC).

"The Job Horizons program empowers northerners with the tools they need to find better jobs in one of Canada's fastest-growing sectors," Minister Skelton said. "The Government of Canada encourages economic development that creates job opportunities for all Canadians, regardless of where they live."

"This cost-shared program has proven to be a successful tool for building skills and breaking down barriers to employment that have historically faced our northern Aboriginal people," Cline said. "It is a vital partnership that encourages career planning and links training for northern residents directly to northern jobs."

As the project manager, AHRDCC acts as a partnership specialist using a database to match new jobs with skill sets of northern job seekers and bringing matches to the attention of human resource managers. The project manager also advises job seekers on what skills they need for specific jobs and, once they've acquired employment, assists them with the transition into new work.

"Because of Job Horizons, there has been a dramatic change in the attitude of youth in our community," Ile-a-la-Crosse Mayor Max Morin said. "By helping to place dozens of our people in jobs with a real career future since April 2005, the project is creating the right kind of role models for our youth."

"The project brings welcome job opportunities to northerners and it plays a valuable role promoting northern-based talent to oil sands companies. Everyone benefits," project's chairperson Doug Gayly said.

"Labour mobility is an important issue facing today's employers and job seekers. This project offers a promising model that will interest other regions of Canada wherever skilled labour is in short supply and where skilled workers are seeking employment," AHRDCC President and CEO Kelly Lendsay said.

Funding for the WEPA is provided for in the 2005 federal and provincial budgets.

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For More Information, Contact:

Joanne Mysak Western Economic Diversification Canada Saskatoon Phone: (306) 975-5942	Amy Ringdahl Office of the Minister Ottawa Phone: (613) 996-9331
Craig Hall Aboriginal Human Resources Saskatoon Phone: (306) 956-5361	Bob Ellis Saskatchewan Industry and Resources Regina Phone: (306) 787-1691