U of S launches Aboriginal Career Start program
- Andréa Ledding | April 07, 2016
The “Aboriginal Career Start” program was launched April 6 at the University of Saskatchewan. After opening prayers by Elder Leona Tootoosis, U of S President Peter Stoicheff welcomed the inaugural cohort of sixteen Aboriginal workers transitioning from training programs with Gabriel Dumont Institute, Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology, and Sask Poly-tech, to working on campus, the second-largest employer in Saskatoon.
“This university has been serious for over a decade now, in being the right place for Aboriginal students, and for their communities,” noted Stoicheff. “Because of where we are in Canada, in this province with the population of Aboriginal people that we have here, because of the aspirations of the Aboriginal people and of the University, because of the calls from the TRC and the calls to action, because of all of that: this was the time to be as purposeful as we could be regarding the success of Aboriginal students on this campus.”
Additionally, a recent motion has been passed at the U of S to ensure meaningful Aboriginal education is a component of every degree-granting program. Meanwhile, this program partnership creates employment opportunities for upcoming Aboriginal financial and administrative assistants, allowing them to develop skills which they can, as job-seekers, apply at the university and in the community over two weeks paid training and subsequent job placement.
“It is designed to increase the number of Aboriginal staff members that we have on this campus, and also to help communities have well-trained Aboriginal people working in them,” explained Stoicheff.
“We see the need to meet the demand of our ever-growing province,” noted USSU president Jack Saddleback. “We also see the need to address the social disparities that our Indigenous populations, such as employment opportunities.”
He praised the U of S and their partners for helping create safe spaces to address these two issues in a way that brought everyone to the table, something Lisa Bird-Wilson of GDI agreed with, citing over 1100 teachers from the SUNTEP program and a forty-year friendship between the U of S and GDI, along with many less visible partnerships.
“They all work behind the scenes to the same end: and that is to get Métis people quality education that is culturally relevant, and transition into employment,” noted Bird-Wilson, adding she was so pleased when the program came forth because the spin-off effects from good education and good jobs affects the whole community. “There are connections between culture, and education, and success. Culturally-affirming practices in the workplace go a long way in ensuring success for the participants in this program.” Comments from the students included representing their community with pride, showing how qualified they were in a valued workplace, while increasing visibility of Aboriginal people and creating a more Aboriginal-friendly space.
“We’ve been doing everything — filing, paperwork, computers, you name it — all very hands-on, and it’s been awesome,” said Connie Dodge, one of the first cohort members, echoed by her peer Vanessa Montgrand.
“It’s an amazing opportunity, and great to have one another while we go through the process,” said Montgrand.