Backgrounder: Skills and Partnership Fund

The Skills and Partnership Fund 2022 call for proposals ran from February 28 to May 9, 2022, and sought applications from Indigenous organizations for partnership-based projects with a focus on five priority sectors: the green economy; information and communications technology; infrastructure; the blue economy; and the Indigenous public sector.

This call specifically targeted projects that:

• prepare and train Indigenous people for specific in-demand jobs;
• demonstrate partnerships that will develop training for employment activities aimed at improving Indigenous people’s employment outcomes;
• leverage private sector, not-for-profit and/or public sector funding to maximize Skills and Partnership Fund investments;
• include measures to ensure that potential employers provide a respectful and inclusive workplace for Indigenous employees; and
• consider the future of the project by:
  • outlining a sustainability plan to continue the project after federal funding ends; or
  • including a clear plan to end the project.

The projects receiving funding include:

Organization: Aboriginal Community Career Employment Services Society
Project: Indigenous Training and Apprenticeship Program – Infrastructure
Province: British Columbia
Objective: This project will provide participants with the skills needed to complete technical training in a skilled trade and eventually achieve Red Seal journeyperson status.
Amount: $21,801,368

Organization: Kitselas Five Tier System
Project: K5T Apprenticeship Development Program
Province: British Columbia
Objective: This project will help community members of the Kitselas First Nation and surrounding area to complete training programs in the trades and obtain their Red Seal designation.
Amount: $11,996,100

Organization: Seabird Island Education Society/College
Project: Seabird Island Skills Training and Employment Initiative
Province: British Columbia
Objective: This project will provide individuals with training to meet labour shortages in their home communities and transition them into employment opportunities.
Amount: $7,827,753

Organization: Montana Band Reserve
Project: Green Growth for Community Sustainability
Province: Alberta
Objective: This project will train participants to find careers in horticulture, hospitality, information technology, and health care.
Amount: $16,878,031

Organization: Tribal Chiefs Employment and Training Services Association
Project: Charting New Career Pathways in a Green Economy
Province: Alberta
Objective: This project will train participants in the practice of vertical greenhouse farming, allowing for the year-round plant production of traditional trees and shrubs, providing sustainable employment in year-round plant production.
Amount: $2,389,083

Organization: Gabriel Dumont Institute Training and Employment Inc.
Project: Nurturing our Future – Building Métis Public Health Services
Province: Saskatchewan
Objective: This project will train citizens of the Métis Nation to increase their representation and fill vacancies in the Saskatchewan health sector.
Amount: $14,633,132

Organization: Centre for Aboriginal Human Resource Development Inc.
Project: Community Teacher Service Worker Program
Province: Manitoba
Objective: This project will prepare people who face barriers to employment and need extra assistance to succeed in obtaining careers in education.
Amount: $9,321,955

Organization: Indigenous Friends Association
Project: IndigiTECH – Mentorship Framework: Expansion Project
Province: Ontario
Objective: This project will help increase Indigenous representation in professional, managerial and technical occupations by helping workers overcome systemic barriers to participation.
Amount: $9,295,000

Organization: Indigenous Sport and Wellness Ontario
Project: Zgaa-biig-ni-gan
Province: Ontario
Objective: This project will provide skills development, training-to-employment experiences and wrap-around supports for participants seeking jobs in emerging sectors such as computer technology, sustainable technology, green building and community wellness.
Amount: $5,546,206

Organization: Teach for Canada
Project: Investing in Sustainable Communities
Province: Ontario
Objective: This project will improve the employability of Indigenous education workers in remote First Nations locations by providing culturally specific advanced skills development programming.
Amount: $4,471,807

Organization: Aboriginal Labour Force Development Circle
Project: Career Exploration Training for Indigenous Employment Counsellors
Province: Ontario
Objective: This project will train Indigenous employment counsellors in career exploration programs to acquire practical skills to assist clients in meeting long-term employment objectives.
Amount: $678,000

Organization: Kahnawà:ke Economic Development Commission
Project: Builders for the Future
Province: Quebec
Objective: This project will enable participants to obtain proper certification for employment in the construction industry.
Amount: $1,403,414

Organization: Mohawk Council of Kanesatake
Project: Learning for the Future
Province: Quebec
Objective: This project will provide paid on-the-job training to participants in the Indigenous public sector, specifically in the fields of Indigenous languages, communications, multimedia, and the health sector.
Amount: $4,632,035

Organization: Centre d’amitié autochtone de Val-d’Or
Project: ODABI (Racines)
Province: Quebec
Objective: This project will increase the employability of Indigenous participants with a focus on improving the soft skills needed to succeed in the labour market.
Amount: $4,412,007

Organization: Conseil de la Nation Atikamekw
Project: FabLab Atikamekw
Province: Quebec
Objective: This project will support Indigenous youth by providing them with the necessary skills to be integrated into the labour market, in the areas of information technology and craftsmanship.
Amount: $2,753,400

Organization: Le Conseil des Atikamekw de Wemotaci
Project: Le project NISKA (oies sauvages en Atikamekw)
Province: Quebec
Objective: This project will assist participants in improving their employability through adult education and/or vocational training followed by internships within the community.
Amount: $1,648,424


Organization: Association de gestion halieutique autochtone Mi’gmaq et Malécite
Project: Formation d’employabilité maritime
Province: Quebec
Objective: This project will increase the employability of local community members by offering training to help find employment in the field of fisheries.
Amount: $1,159,200

Organization: Joint Economic Development Initiative Inc.
Project: Indigenous Information Technology and Cybersecurity Program
Province: New Brunswick
Objective: This project will provide training to increase Indigenous participation in the Information Technology sector with a focus on cultural awareness, employer engagement, and self-employment and entrepreneurship programming.
Amount: $4,411,875

Organization: First Nation Coalition Quota Limited Partnership
Project: Career Set Sail
Province: Nova Scotia
Objective: This project will provide opportunities for clients to become active participants in the commercial fishery industry by providing the training and work experience required for in-demand jobs within Clearwater Seafoods corporate offices, plants and vessels which require a talent pipeline for the future.
Amount: $2,892,650

Organization: Mi’kmaq Confederacy of PEI Inc.
Project: Epekwitk Wellugwet Skills Partnership Project
Province: Prince Edward Island
Objective: This project will build participants’ skills to secure employment and self-employment in the fields of aquaculture, hospitality, construction, and management solutions (pest control and cleaning services) and digital literacy and skills development.
Amount: $8,791,907

Organization: Labrador Aboriginal Training Partnership
Project: Labrador Indigenous Training to Employment Strategy
Province: Newfoundland and Labrador
Objective: This project will provide career counselling and long-term training to prepare clients for employment opportunities in underground mining.
Amount: $19,453,650

Organization: Miawpukek First Nation
Project: Miawpukek First Nation Mariner Training Project
Province: Newfoundland and Labrador
Objective: This project will integrate participants into the marine industry for long-term job success in a fast-growing industry and support the recruitment and retention of workers.
Amount: $493,371

Organization: Na-Cho Nyäk Dun Development Corporation
Project: Northern Tutchone Seed Collection and Reclamation Initiative
Territory: Yukon
Objective: This project will provide training in plant identification, seed collection, restoration/reclamation, and other related topics to prepare community members for employment in planned and ongoing restoration work associated with mining activities in the territory.
Amount: $671,090

Organization: Yellowknives Dene First Nation
Project: Dechįta Nàowo
Territory: Northwest Territories
Objective: This project will provide training to participants to access employment in the resources and remediation industry, public sector, renewable resources, trades and media/arts sectors.
Amount: $12,847,238