Indigenous skills training boosted in Thunder Bay

TORONTO — Ontario has announced spending towards construction skills training for indigenous people in the Thunder Bay area.

With the spend, the province is supporting the Construction Craft Worker Training Program delivered by Anishinabek Employment and Training Services (AETS), indicates a Jan. 26 media statement.

This program provides pre-apprenticeship training for indigenous participants from nine First Nation communities in the Thunder Bay area.

It helps graduates become registered apprentices, get jobs in construction or further their education with post-secondary training, while also providing courses focused on life skills and resume-building, says the Ministry of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation statement.

The funding, amounting to $250,000 through the Aboriginal Economic Development Fund (AEDF), will support the Construction Craft Worker Program.

This is the second year that the AETS has received funding through the AEDF to support the program.

AETS is currently delivering the third intake of the Construction Craft Worker Program. The program is 22 weeks long and each intake provides training for 20 students.

Ontario is allocating a total of $95 million through the AEDF over 10 years. The AEDF was launched in 2014 and has three funding streams: Regional Partnership Grants, Economic Diversification Grants and the Business and Community Fund. To date, Ontario has funded 57 projects with indigenous partners through the fund.