Seventy First Nations to participate in a program to help connect youth with skills training

The Government of Canada is investing in skills training for nearly 4,000 First Nations youth (ages 18 to 24) across Canada as part of the first set of proposals approved under the improved on-reserve Income Assistance Program.

The initiative will provide personalized supports to First Nations youth from 70 communities across the country as they secure the tools needed to find meaningful employment and reduce their reliance on income assistance. Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development Minister Bernard Valcourt joined together with the Saskatoon Tribal Council, the Battlefords Agency Tribal Chiefs, Meadow Lake Tribal Council, Yorkton Tribal Council, Lac La Ronge Indian Band and the Saskatchewan Indian Training Assessment Group Incorporated in Saskatoon to announce the participants in the program.

Activities will begin over the coming months across Canada, as First Nation communities and Tribal Councils lead the effort to ensure youth have every opportunity for jobs and prosperity.

Quick facts

An integral component of the new Income Assistance Program is case management. Case-workers will work with individuals to identify barriers to employment and to develop a personalized plan to address those barriers.

This announcement represents the next steps in the implementation of the Economic Action Plan 2013 commitment to invest $241 million over four years to connect on-reserve First Nations youth between the ages of 18 and 24 to skills training and jobs.

This approach builds on the success of recent pilot projects and partnerships being undertaken across Canada, where the Government of Canada has been working with the provincial governments, First Nations and the private sector to link First Nations Income Assistance clients with training and jobs.

First Nations youth will have access to a range of services and programs aimed at increasing their job prospects and supporting them as they move into the workforce, including: basic life-skills training, skills training and career counseling.

Quote

“Our Government continues to take concrete steps to create the conditions for more prosperous, self-sufficient First Nation communities. Investing in jobs and skills training will lead to greater First Nation participation in the economy, healthier First Nation communities and a stronger Canada.” said Bernard Valcourt, Minister of Aboriginal Affairs and Northern Development.

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