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Welder has positive outlook
Winnipeg, Manitoba—After learning the welding trade at the Neeginan Institute of Applied Technology in Winnipeg, James Boss was hired as a welder at Champion Iron Works. The federal Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy (ASETS) provided funding to the Institute to develop and deliver programs to help Aboriginal people like James obtain training and develop the skills they need to enter the job market.
ASETS is part of a government-wide approach to help First Nations, Métis and Inuit people secure sustainable and meaningful employment. The Strategy focuses on supporting demand-driven skills development and on fostering partnerships with the private sector and the provinces and territories, with an emphasis on accountability and results.
James was motivated to learn a trade after having lost his job with a retail company. “By attending the training program,” says James, “I was able to help not only myself, but others, by having a positive outlook. This program is not a stepping stone but more like an escalator; once you move forward, it doesn’t make sense to go back.”
James says he would encourage other people to apply for the Canadian Welding Bureau program offered through the Neeginan Institute. “Everyone at Neeginan is so positive that you can’t help but soak it up.”
More recently, James was hired by the Wuskwatim Hydro Dam in Northern Manitoba, which represents a significant boost in his career. Success stories likes James’ prove that the ASETS program is making a difference in Aboriginal employment. It is expected that ASETS will result in approximately 14 000 to 16 000 jobs each year.
Through Human Resources and Skills Development Canada, the federal government has invested $1.68 billion in the ASETS program, which will run until 2015. A network of over 80 Aboriginal service delivery organizations develop and deliver programs and services at the local level to help Aboriginal clients get the skills they need to participate in the labour market.