Gabriel Dumont Institute Apprenticeship Program seeking out partnerships
By: Armand LaPlante
For the Indigenous Times Newspaper
There is a new opportunity in Saskatchewan for employers and Aboriginal apprentices in the trades industry.
The Gabriel Dumont Institute, in partnership with Saskatchewan Highways and Infrastructure, the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship and Trades Certification Commission, Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, and Dumont Technical Institute launched the Aboriginal Apprenticeship Initiative on June 29, 2011. The Program, which is one of only eight to be funded under the federal Strategic Partnership Fund, aims to increase Aboriginal representation in the trades industry and create partnerships within the industry. The program was approved for funding in the Spring of 2011 by the Human Resource and Skills Development Canada and will be receiving $2.4 million over the next two years.
"We want to open more opportunities for businesses to bring in and train up new apprentices," says Jason DeBack, GDI’s apprenticeship coordinator, "We are helping businesses fill their demands for employees as well as increasing Aboriginal representation in the trades industry."
Currently, the Aboriginal population is the fastest growing population in Saskatchewan and the Aboriginal Apprenticeship Program plans to increase the number of Aboriginal individuals in trades by at least 120 within the next two years. GDI’s Apprenticeship Office is encouraging businesses to reach out and make use of this opportunity in order to have access to Aboriginal employees qualified to meet their employment demands. Businesses may also be eligible for wage subsidy from GDI’s Aboriginal Apprentice Program.
Thus far, the number of apprentices finding employment through the Aboriginal Apprenticeship Program has been steady but the opportunity is still available for employers and apprentices all across the Province.
For more information, contact:
Gabriel Dumont Institute
Apprenticeship Office
997 - 22nd Street
Saskatoon, SK
306-657-2256
1-877-488-6888
Apprenticeship@gdi.gdins.org
http://www.gdins.org/
