Through a partnership between the provincial government and industry, a combined $1.2 million will be invested in the Pathways to Success program.
The announcement was made on the one-year anniversary of the British Columbia government’s launch of its Skills for Jobs Blueprint by Minister of Aboriginal Relations and Reconciliation John Rustad at the National Aboriginal Business Opportunities Conference in Prince Rupert.
Both the provincial government and its industry partners, BG Canada, LNG Canada and Pacific NorthWest LNG, are providing $600,000 apiece. Rustad said the government will support a number of programs, with Pathways to Success being the first it provides funding to.
The provincial funding is made possible through the new Aboriginal Skills Training Development Program, which in alignment with B.C.’s Skills for Jobs Blueprint, is investing up to $30 million for new Aboriginal skills training projects and partnerships over the next three years.
“The blueprint has a goal of adding 15,000 more Aboriginal workers to British Columbia’s workforce within 10 years,” Rustad said.
Organized by the Nicola Valley Institute of Technology, the Pathways to Success program is delivered in Prince Rupert and Terrace. BG Canada sponsored 100 per cent of the first Pathways to Success program that wrapped up earlier this year.
The goal of Pathways to Success is to link First Nations people directly from training to jobs. Over the next six months approximately 192 participants from the Kitselas, Kitsumkalum, Lax Kw’alaams, Gitxaala, Metlakatla and Gitga’at Nations will be trained.
“One of the great things about this program is that it helps First Nations members first get job-ready with the essential employment skills they need, and then connects them directly with jobs,” Rustad said.
“This provides significant benefits for both First Nations members and their communities.”
“Skills training for First Nations people is a priority for our community, so it’s good see government and industry supporting training that will help ensure more members of our community benefit from jobs in the LNG industry,” said Chief Clarence Innis of the Gitxaala Nation.