One of the top employers in Canada among Indigenous people
The construction industry is one of the top employers in Canada among Indigenous people today and there are many Indigenous-focused organizations and programs to help you succeed.
With Canada’s abundance of resources, many of the big construction projects planned over the coming decade will be happening in northern locations. If you live in or close to one of these areas, there is a lot of opportunity opening up that will also enable you to stay close to your community.
Helping you to enter the skilled trades
There are ongoing efforts to help Indigenous people get started in the construction industry and a number of support tools for those wishing to enter the skilled trades.The Indigenous Skills and Employment Training (ISET) Program can provide you with training or skills upgrading and help finding a high-demand job.
Learn more about the great organizations and programs that focus specifically on helping Indigenous people to get into an apprenticeship and succeed in the trades. Be sure to check out the videos on this page to hear people in some of these programs talk about their experiences.
WHAT TO DO NEXT
Use the Career Finder to explore more than 50 careers in the construction industry. It can help you narrow down your options by specifying criteria such as whether or not you want a career that keeps you close to home, do you prefer to work in cities versus remote areas and things like that.
ORGANIZATIONS THAT HELP INDIGENOUS CAREER SEEKERS TO GET STARTED IN THE CONSTRUCTION TRADES
There are many programs across Canada that introduce Indigenous career seekers to opportunities in construction. In addition to the programs below, check out your local construction association, colleges/technical institutes/universities and unions in your area for other programs focused on Indigenous people.
The Alberta Indigenous Construction Career Centres (AICCC) connects prospective Indigenous workers with employers recruiting for construction-related careers. It is a partnership with NorQuest College, the Government of Alberta, First Nation communities, and industry organizations. Check out their video below.
The Trade Winds to Success program offers pre-apprenticeship training programs in a number of trades. Check out the Trade Winds to Success Training Society’s website for more information.
Women Building Futures (WBF) is a leader in trades training for women, with extensive experience in recruiting women into the heavy industrial workforce. Its employment placement rate is 90%! The great thing about this program is that you get to try a variety of trades before deciding which one you’d like to pursue further. Check out their video below.
The Industry Training Authority (ITA) sponsors a number of pre-apprenticeship trades training programs that provide a range of individualized and group services and supports, hands-on trades exploration training, entry level (pre-apprenticeship) technical training, industry certification training, mentorship, job coaching and employment placement services. Check out the ITA website for a full list of their training programs.
The Government of Manitoba offers an Indigenous Apprenticeship Training program that provides community-based training in First Nations and Métis communities. Visit Apprenticeship Manitoba for more information.
The Hydro Northern Training Initiative (HNTI) helps northern Indigenous residents find construction work at the Wuskwatim and Keeyask generating stations. Find out more about hydroelectric construction jobs and related training.
The City of Winnipeg’s Indigenous Youth Strategy, Oshki Annishinabe Nigaaniwak, provides Indigenous youth access to training and employment initiatives within the construction and skilled trades sector.
The Indigenous Leadership Development Institute can help you learn skills that are relevant to the construction trades, and also offers a women’s program.
Collège Communautaire du Nouveau-Brunswick (CCNB) offers an Introduction to Trades program designed to assist Aboriginal learners to overcome their employment barriers. The program will look to build on the experience that community members have in renovation projects going on currently.
The Newfoundland and Labrador government will be opening the Labrador Office for Indigenous and Northern Skilled Trades (announced June 25, 2020) to promote the skilled trades as a viable career, mentor individuals through the apprenticeship-journeyperson process, and assist individuals in finding employment opportunities. The office will be based in Happy Valley-Goose Bay.
The Aboriginal Trades Project provides opportunities for off-reserve Aboriginal Peoples to have access to skilled trades training programs and more.
The Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency also has some apprenticeship resources for Indigenous Peoples, including the Aboriginal Futures Career & Training Centre, a library of employment opportunities, cultural event listings and other information tailored to Mi’kmaq communities in the province.
The Aboriginal Apprenticeship Board of Ontario aims to increase the number of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people working in the trades through improved access and opportunity to apprenticeship and long-term gainful employment.
Created by the Central Ontario Building Trades, the Hammer Heads Program is a skill and employment-based training program that offers apprenticeship career opportunities to Indigenous youth and youth in under-resourced neighbourhoods in Ontario’s Greater Toronto Area. As a community-based initiative, Hammer Heads takes pride in giving back to their communities by delivering meaningful careers, not temporary jobs, focusing on 100% success and retention strategies.
The Native Council of Prince Edward Island offers an Indigenous Skills and Employment Training (ISET) program to help Aboriginal Peoples prepare for and find high-demand jobs, including the skilled trades.
The Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies (SIIT) helps First Nations people to more easily enter into a skilled trade apprenticeship and helps graduates to find jobs. Check out the SIIT website to learn more about the construction trades programs available to you and to find your nearest career centre.
