Employment & Training - Council of Yukon First Nations

Aboriginal Human Resources Development Strategy (AHRDS)

If you're wondering where to find a job or how to upgrade your skills, the Aboriginal Human Resources Development Strategy (AHRDS) may be able to help.

In Canada, 80 Aboriginal Human Resources Development Agreement (AHRDA) holders deliver labour market programming in over 400 locations. Service Canada's regional offices work closely with these Agreement holders to implement the AHRDS and its programs and services. Here in the Yukon there are two AHRDA holders (ALFA and CYFN) with sub agreements with our First Nations. CYFN agreement with Service Canada is approximately 2.4 million per annum.

Each AHRDA holder has programs best suited to the community it serves.

The Strategy

The Aboriginal Human Resources Development Strategy (AHRDS) is designed to expand the employment opportunities of Aboriginal people across Canada. Under this Strategy, Aboriginal organizations design and deliver employment programs and services best suited to meet the unique needs of their communities.

The AHRDS is designed to assist Aboriginal people to prepare for, find, and keep jobs. All Aboriginal people may access its programs and services. These include: labour market interventions; programs for youth, urban and Aboriginal persons living with disabilities; creation and maintenance of child care spaces (First Nations and Inuit Child Care), and capacity building for Agreement holders.

These community-level agreements with Aboriginal organizations throughout Canada are flexible to ensure that Aboriginal organizations have the authority to make decisions that will meet the needs of their communities. Each organization must meet accountability requirements and demonstrate performance results.

Capacity Building and Accountability

Capacity building is a key requirement, and one of the pillars of the Aboriginal Human Resources Development Strategy (AHRDS). The capacity to provide efficient and effective labour market programming is a measurement of an organization's ability to plan, deliver and report on programs and services that meet the needs of Aboriginal clients, employers and communities.

Accountability is important to the Government of Canada. Service Canada needs to know that the Strategy is performing as designed to fulfill the department's legal obligations to report to Parliament, and so it can communicate the Strategy's success and progress to other key stakeholders. Demonstrated success supports the broader Aboriginal agenda, and is important to the continued evolution of labour market programming through innovative approaches such as the AHRDS.

Accountability is important to AHRDA holders. Reporting and assessment of results provides AHRDA holders with information they need to ensure their programs continue to meet the needs of their clients.

Accountability is also important to the continued development of the capacity of AHRDA holders to effectively administer their programs, and to the development of well trained Aboriginal public administrators and labour market specialists. Capacity building funds support training in public administration and front-line Aboriginal human resources development officers, as well as the development of tools and systems to build the capacity and efficiency of Aboriginal organizations across the country.

Youth

If you are between the ages of 15 and 30, you may also wish to check out our information on youth programs. The AHRDS may be your most direct access to training, upgrading your skills, or finding a job.
Aboriginal youth account for the fastest growing population segment in Canada. They play a very important part in filling many jobs left vacant when older people retire.

With education and skills training available though the Aboriginal Human Resources Development Strategy (AHRDS), Aboriginal youth have the potential to excel in careers in a variety of fields.
ETO's determine which kind of youth programs they wish to deliver based on the needs of youth in their communities. They may design, develop and deliver unique youth programs that work for their communities while supporting HRSD's objectives, or they may simply implement programs that are like HRSD's mainstream ones.

With these programs, Aboriginal communities are helping to give their young people the skills and tools they need to thrive in the new economy. To find out more about youth programs in your community contact your ETO directly.

Child Care

Got kids? Many ETO's may also offer child care seats while you work or learn. The First Nations and Inuit Child Care initiative gives parents a chance to work or learn. Child care spaces are located in 407 First Nations and Inuit communities across Canada.
These are part of the Aboriginal Human Resources Development Strategy (AHRDS). To find out if child care under this program is right for you and available in your community, contact your ETO directly.

Disability

Under the Strategy, extra money is available to enhance services for persons with disabilities. Any of the usual programming available from Agreement holders under the Strategy is available to you. To find out more you can contact your ETO.

Employment Insurance

The Employment Insurance (EI) Account was established in the Accounts of Canada by the Employment Insurance Act (EI Act) to record all amounts received or paid out under that Act. The EI Act provides short-term financial relief and other assistance to eligible workers. The program covers all workers in an employer-employee relationship. Employment Benefits under Part II of the EI Act through a set of Employment Benefits and Support Measures that can be tailored to meet the needs of individuals and local circumstances. If you are collecting EI dollars and wish to participate in training that will help you get employment contact your ETO to see if you are eligible and also for more information.

Urban Aboriginal Strategy (UAS)

$50 million has been provided for the UAS over a four-year period. With this money, UAS has developed pilot projects to test new ideas on how to better respond, through partnerships, to the local needs of urban Aboriginal people. Partners include provincial and municipal governments, local Aboriginal organizations, non-government organizations and the private sector. Contact your ETO for further information.

New Initiatives

Essential Skills

Essential skills are the skills people need for work, learning and life. They provide the foundation for learning all other skills and are the cornerstone of lifelong learning. Through extensive research, the Government of Canada and other national and international agencies have identified and validated nine Essential Skills. These skills are used in virtually all occupations and throughout daily life in different forms and at different levels of complexity. The nine essential skills are; reading text, document use, numeracy, writing, oral communication, working with others, thinking skills, computer use and continuous learning. Contact your ETO for further information or visit www.hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca/essentialskills to learn more.

If you are not a member of the following First Nations please contact the HRD coordinator at CYFN for more information.

Council of Yukon First Nations
Human Resource Development Manager
Email: brenda.jackson@cyfn.net
Phone: (867) 393-9238
Fax: (867) 668-6577

Carcross/Tagish First Nation
ETO: Christina Barrett
Email: christina.barrett@ctfn.ca
Phone: (867) 821-3216
Fax: (867) 821-8214

Champagne/Aishihik First Nations
ETO: Mary Anne Carroll
Email: mcarroll@cafn.ca
Phone: (867) 634-4230
Fax: (867) 634-2108

Kluane First Nation
ETO: Claudia Bob
Email: human.resources@kfn.ca
Phone: (867) 841-4274 extn 230
Fax: (867) 841-5900

Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation
ETO: Shari Wrixon
Email: shari.wrixon@lscfn.ca
Phone: (867) 863-5576 Ext 247
Fax: (867) 863-5710

First Nation of Nacho Nyak Dun
ETO: Teri Buyck
Email: nndahrd@northwestel.net
Phone: (867) 996-2137
Fax: (867) 996-2028

Selkirk First Nation
ETO: Cindy McGinty
Email: cindym@selkirkfn.com
Phone: (867) 537-3331
Fax: (867) 537-3902

Ta'an Kwachan Council
ETO: Madeline Talyfer
Email: mtalyfer@taan.ca
Phone: (867) 668-3613 ext 116
Fax: (867) 668-3465

Teslin Tlingit Council
ETO: Marie Davies
Email: marie.davies@ttc-teslin.com
Phone: (867) 456-4806
Fax: (867) 390-2176

Tron dek Hwechin First Nation
ETO: Lue Maxwell
Email: lue.maxwell@gov.trondek.com
Phone: (867) 993-7141
Fax: (867) 993-6553

Vuntut Gwitchen First Nation
ETO: Margaret Smith
Email: eto@vgfn.net
Phone: (867) 966-3261 extn.223
Fax: (867) 966-3800

White River First Nation
ETO: Stacy Asp
Email: eto@wrfn.yk.ca
Phone: (867) 862-7014
Fax: (867) 862-7806

Skookum Jim Friendship Centre
ETO: Joseph Nicolas
Email: sjfcmanager@northwestel.net
Phone: (867) 663-7685
Fax: (867) 668-6521

You may also want to go to Human Resources and Skills Development Canada or the Aboriginal Relations Office Web Sites for more specific information.