Labrador - Aboriginal Human Resource Council

Workforce 

Connex 

Labrador Workforce Connex... 

Labrador Forum: Building Strong 

Private Sector and Aboriginal Partnerships 

June 19, 2006 

Happy Valley-Goose Bay, 

Labrador

Acknowledgement 

The Aboriginal Human Resource Development Council of Canada (AHRDCC) would like 

to acknowledge and thank members of the Labrador regional planning committee who 

dedicated their time and talent to help make the Labrador Workforce Connex forum a 

successful event. 

Labrador Workforce Connex Planning Committee 

• Tanya Borden, Service Canada 

• Donna Swain, Service Canada 

• Lorraine Hinks, Service Canada 

• Agnes Rumbolt, Department of Human Resources, Labour and Employment, 

Government of Newfoundland and Labrador 

• Sheila Connors, Department of Human Resources, Labour and Employment, 


• Debbie Stone, Human Resources and Skills Development 

• Dorothy Earle, Mushuau Innu First Nation 

• Martha Piwas, Mushuau Innu First Nation 

• Ken Donnelly, Human Resources and Skills Development 

• Martha MacDonald, Labrador Institute of Northern Studies, Memorial University 

• Bob Simms, College of North Atlantic 

• Sheldon Baikie, Department of Aboriginal Affairs, Government of Newfoundland 

and Labrador 

• Roberta Baikie, Nunatsiavut Government 

• Tim McNeill, Nunatsiavut Government

• Wendy Poole, Labour Métis Nation 

• Carter Russell, Labour Métis Nation 

• Tim Butler, Iron Ore Company of Canada 

• Patsy Ralph, Iron Ore Company of Canada 

• Tom Paddon, Voisey’s Bay Nickel Company 

Acknowledgment and thanks is also extended to Hilda Lyall, Inuit Elder for delivering the 

opening prayer for the commencement of the forum, and Chris Montague, (Labrador Métis Nation), 

Ben Ponniuk (Nunatsiavut Government) and Lorraine Hinks (Service Canada) for their opening remarks. 

The national Workforce Connex forum series is administered by the Aboriginal Human Resource 

Development Council of Canada through funding provided by the Sector Council Program, 

Human Resources and Social Development Canada. 

Published: August 2006

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Acknowledgement 

President/CEO 

Aboriginal Human Resource Development Council of Canada ................................2 

Executive Summary .........................................................................................3 

Forward ..................................................................................................3 

Synopsis .................................................................................................3 

Forum Discussions ...........................................................................................5 

Part 1:Presentations ..................................................................................5 

Part 2:Panel .............................................................................................5 

Part 3:Demand Side ..................................................................................5 

Part 4:Supply Side ....................................................................................11 

Commitments .................................................................................................16 

Overview of the National Trades Strategy ..........................................................19 

Appendices 

Appendix 1:Forum Agenda ........................................................................20 

Appendix 2: Attendance ............................................................................21 

Appendix 3: Evaluation Summary ...............................................................25 

Appendix 4: Glossary of Terms ...................................................................28

Message CEO/President 

Aboriginal Human Resource Development Council of Canada 

KELLY LENDSAY 

August 2006 

Dear Workforce Connex participant, 

It is my pleasure to present the outcomes of the fourth forum in the national Workforce Connex series, 

which was held in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador on June 19, 2006. 

The concept behind Workforce Connex came to life when the Honourable Claudette Bradshaw, former 

Minister of State (Human Resources Development), undertook a series of roundtables with stakeholders 

across the country in 2005. The principal purpose of the tour was to bring together Aboriginal Human 

Resource Development Agreement holders (AHRDAs), private sector and other key stakeholders to 

discuss better collaborations in Aboriginal labour force development. 

Throughout this process the council emphasized the importance of collaboration, coordination and 

communication. It was also noted that to achieve results, the potential partners; government, the private 

sector, community groups and Aboriginal Peoples, have to be committed to implement sustainable 

partnership strategies. 

It is rewarding to know this vision came alive through active discussion among all participating stakeholder 

groups at the Labrador forum. Participants were engaged in discussion and motivated to break down 

barriers and find solutions to resolve the current training, recruitment and retention issues of 

Aboriginal Peoples. 

It is now critical for the Labrador Workforce Connex participants to continue dialogue and build strong and 

sustainable partnerships that will encourage and provide training and jobs for Aboriginal people in Labrador. 

The Aboriginal Human Resource Development Council of Canada (AHRDCC) will continue its work to 

facilitate discussion among trades and apprenticeship stakeholders to help build a skilled Aboriginal 

workforce that feeds the growing need of Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples and economy. 

We would like to thank you, the participant, for your involvement in Workforce Connex Labrador. The 

council looks forward to your continued involvement and added value in this multi-dimensional partnership 

initiative. Your role is critical! 

Sincerely, 

Kelly Lendsay 

President/CEO 


2

Executive Summary 

Foreword 

This report is a summary of findings from the 

Labrador Workforce Connex forum held in 

Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador on June 

19, 2006. The results outlined in this report are 

representative of the Labrador participants and 

have not been altered or analyzed in any way. 

This summary is focused on the input 

participants shared during interactive roundtable 

and plenary discussions. The results, feedback, 

and viewpoints will serve as a starting point 

for the development of new private sector/ 

Aboriginal employment centre partnerships and 

the development of go-forward action plans in 

the Labrador region. 

The AS SAID reports from across the country 

will be analyzed for trends that will be captured 

in a comprehensive and integrated national 

report that will be used to shape initiatives in 

the Aboriginal Human Resource Development 

Council of Canada’s (AHRDCC) national 

Aboriginal trades and apprenticeship strategy. 

Synopsis 

Workforce Connex is a national forum series 

that has been designed to increase Aboriginal 

participation in targeted trades employment 

and apprenticeship programs. The intent is for 

the forums to create, strengthen and leverage 

regional partnerships and collaborative 

networks that offer resolve to Aboriginal 

employment training, recruitment and 

retention issues. 

On June 19, 2006, a group of committed 

stakeholders representing private sector 

employers, Aboriginal Human Resource 

Development Agreement holders (AHRDAs), 

government and educators convened at the 

Labrador Workforce Connex Forum in Happy 

Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador to discuss ideas 

and commitments that will increase Aboriginal 

participation in trades and apprenticeship in the 

Labrador region. 

The discussion occurred in five stages: 

Part 1: Presentations: Presentations on the 

current Labrador labour market were 

delivered to provide the participants 

with context for discussions. 

3

Part 2: Panel: A panel of private sector 

company representatives delivered 

information and answered questions on 

the demand side of labour. 

Part 3: Demand Side: Discussion helped the 

AHRDA community better understand 

the various employment trends and 

challenges for business and industry 

in Labrador. 

Part 4: Supply Side: Discussion helped 

employers understand the foundation, 

role and employment challenges of the 

AHRDAs, other Aboriginal employment 

agencies and their clients in Labrador. 

Part 5: Go Forward Commitments: 

Participants built a list of commitments 

to ensure the value of the forum 

would extend into actions and 

long-term partnerships. 

Through the facilitation of local professionals, 

participants were able to increase mutual 

understanding about the challenges and 

the successes that have led to increased 

Aboriginal participation in the Labrador labour 

market. There was a consensus that increased 

momentum is required to drive the connections 

between the supply side (AHRDAs and 

Aboriginal organizations) and the demand 

side (employers). 

It was recognized that the forum was a 

beginning; an opportunity to actively and 

consciously move the Aboriginal employment 

agenda forward in Labrador. As a starting 

point, 48 commitments were made, which are 

later outlined in this report. (see page16) 

The work done in Labrador will be integrated 

into a report that will be used to shape 

initiatives in AHRDCC’s national Aboriginal 

trades and apprenticeship strategy. 

4

The Discussion 

Participants engaged in discussion on how to 

increase Aboriginal participation in overall 

employment, with a focus on trades and 

apprenticeship in the Labrador region. 

The dialogue and deliberations at the session 

are contained below. 

PART 1: 

PRESENTATIONS 

A number of presentations were made to provide 

the participants with context for their discussions. 

The presentations included: 

• Labrador Market Overview, Rex Goudie, 

Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency 

(ACOA) 

• Statistical Overview of the Labrador Labour 

Market, Pam Toope, Department of Human 

Resources, Labour and Employment (HRLE). 

PART 2: 

PANEL 

over the past three-years and sees this 

partnership continuing in the future. 

• Catherine Taplin, Iron Ore Company of 

Canada (IOCC). Iron Ore has 1,600 

employees and two-thirds of staff will be 

retiring over the next five years. For Iron 

Ore, retention and recruitment has been, 

and will continue to be, a challenge. 

• Ameila Moss, Servco 198. Servco 198 has 

350–360 employees working in a unionized 

environment. The company’s main issues are 

recruitment and retention. Within five years, 

one-third of their workforce will retire. 

• David Hollett, HL O’Connell. The 

construction company employs a number 

of Aboriginal people and their experience 

in Labrador has been very positive. More 

has to be done to promote the trades as a 

career. The Joint Employment and Training 

Initiative is a good program since it 

has produced a number of skilled 

Aboriginal workers. 

PART 3: 

DEMAND SIDE 

A panel of private sector company representatives 

presented a short synopsis of their demand side 

issues and answered questions from the plenary. 

Following is a list of panelists and a short synopsis 

of their presentation: 

• Tom Paddon, Voisey’s Bay Nickel Company 

Ltd (VBNC). Over the next 10 years there 

will be 80,000 vacancies in the mining 

sector. Voisey’s Bay values the benefit 

of linking with Aboriginal people. The 

company has built a very productive 

relationship with Aboriginal Peoples 

Purpose 

This was a general discussion on the demand side 

(employer) of the employment equation. Business 

was setup as advisors to help AHRDAs increase 

their understanding of the demand side. 

The following is a very brief summary of highlights 

that outline concerns and issues that were taken 

from the various reports and conversations about 

the demand side of the labour market equation: 

5

• Business needs labour market information. 

• Employers need to go directly into 

Aboriginal communities and let them know 

what jobs are available. 

• Need better joint planning for both the 

demand and supply of labour. 

• Need for long-term sustainable employment; 

entry-level compensation isn’t enough. 

• Need to connect training with the jobs that 

are available now and in the future. 

• Need different strategies for skilled trained 

workers as opposed to untrained workers. 

• Source locally: Conduct cross-cultural 

awareness training in communities where 

companies recruit. 

• The high number of retirements is adding 

increased pressure to expand. 

• Available, affordable housing is sometimes 

an issue. 

• Expose youth to the apprenticeship system. 

• Recruitment should begin at the high 

school level. 

• Better linkages should take place between 

the education system and employers. 

• Involve people in community (i.e., 

elders, council). 

• There is a lack of connections 

with employers. 

• Mobility of workers is required; sometimes 

this is an issue for some Aboriginal people. 

People with an established life can’t leave 

their jobs and homes to spend threeyears 

working for a degree. They need to 

achieve this through on-the-job training. This 

could be done if employers could provide 

accommodations and helicopter time. 

• Need websites for job seekers. 

• AHRDAs lack the capacity to update 

databanks of job seekers. 

• We need a Labrador-wide databank. 

• Some candidates lack experience. 

• There is a shortage of journey-persons in 

the area. 

• Employers should be offering work for all 

trades terms to job seekers. 

• There are housing issues at Voisey’s Bay. 

• Adult basic education is an issue. 

• Need to upgrade current employees for 

the future. 

• High labour costs due to a number of 

short-term jobs at high wages. 

• Need long-term training linked to careers. 

• Language is a challenge. 

Participants were separated into groups and were 

asked to respond to a number of questions. The 

following is a summary of the responses from the 

various groups: 

Barriers to Recruitment and Retention 

What challenges and frustrations do companies 

face with regard to the recruitment and retention 

of an Aboriginal workforce 

• Need trained/skilled employed people. 

6

• AHRDAs need to know how to match jobs 

with education required. 

• Need to improve on-the-job education 

and training. 

• More information sharing among 

employers and job seekers is needed (i.e., 

website databank). 

• Better links between educators 

and employers. 

• Short-term versus careers (apprenticeship). 

• The opportunities currently available to 

workers include: 

– environmental technicians, scientists, 

engineers 

– skilled trades with Iron Ore -- such 

as truck drivers, operators, welders, 

apprenticeship 

– architectural field assistants, labourers, 

environment monitoring, trades (i.e. 

carpentry, plumbing, heavy equipment). 

• There is still a demand for unskilled workers, 

who in fact are very skilled in certain kinds 

of knowledge. For example, prospecting 

is a skill that is quite easy for people who 

are already familiar with being on the 

land. Many people could do this with basic 

training. Aboriginal people can advance 

with experience. This is true in Manaskuat’s 

experience. However, it’s hard to convince 

a client that these people have the 

knowledge that will lead them to become 

environmental technicians. All proposals 

written with a training component for field 

technicians have been turned down. 

• It is hard to find opportunities for 

job shadowing. 

• A comment was made that the $25 million 

investment into Voisey’s Bay went to wage 

subsidies rather than training. People who 

had taken the heavy equipment course then 

went to Voisey’s Bay and had the same 

training again. 

• More coordination is needed with the 

AHRDAs. It was expressed that there should 

have been more communication about 

this meeting and more senior people from 

businesses should be in attendance. 

• Meeting with communities, including people 

and organizations. The companies need to 

talk with the people who live in the area. 

They need to be socially responsibly. For 

example, they will save in the long run by 

buying supplies locally. 

• Retention: There is a need to develop skills 

locally and create meaningful employment 

for people because it’s the local people who 

will want to stay and work. 

• Language barriers exist; interpreters are 

needed for Innu during courses such as 

prospecting, as in this course there may not 

be a full understanding of the terminology 

used. There is no Innueimun dictionary 

available, which is important, especially 

during health and safety courses where 

there is a need for everyone to understand 

what is being said. It was suggested that 

training take place in Sheshatshui instead 

of in Happy Valley-Goose Bay so that 

people could walk to the sessions and have 

translators present. 

• Entrepreneurship is something of a foreign 

concept for Innu. People need to respect 

and understand Innu culture. There is crosscultural 

awareness presentations delivered 

for some groups. Employers/supervisors 

need to know about the Innu community and 

the people they will be visiting. The Innu 

need to be aware of non-Aboriginal culture. 

At the Diavik mine there is an advisory 

group of elders who can help. It is important 

to involve people in the community. 

7

Minaskut Limited partnership representative 

pointed out that the company has an Innu 

manager who communicates with the Innu 

technicians. Recruitment and retention would 

be improved with cultural understanding. 

• The Innu do not want special treatment, they 

want to have their worldview respected. 

• Impact Benefits Agreements (IBAs) are 

followed every day at Voisey’s Bay. Entry 

level jobs are filled from resumes on hand 

and people advance. 

• Although there are federal and provincial 

job programs that the companies could gain 

access to, the time required to access this 

benefit takes so long that many companies 

prefer to pay for the training themselves. 

When commitments are made to hire local 

people these commitments are negotiated 

as part of terms to employment instead of or 

employment. People need meaningful and 

satisfying work. 

• It makes good business sense to hire local 

people but you can’t legislate this 

to happen. 

• On-the-job training is a key component 

to retention. 

• Need help to provide on-the-job training 

specific to situation. Retention success will 

improve if on-the-job training is geared to 

the particular job or set of skills. 

• More coordination between AHRDAs, 

business and communities. 

• Involve people in community (i.e., 

elders, council). 

• Train in the community. 

• The way information is communicated (the 

language used) and having respect for the 

culture is very important when it comes 

to the recruitment and retention of 


• AHRDAs do no know about specific 

job vacancies. 

• Need different sponsorship and criteria 

for training. 

• Businesses need to focus on Aboriginal 

representation to help with Aboriginal 

clients (overcome cultural barriers): 

– build partnerships 

– initiate contact. 

• Aboriginal communities and AHRDA 

partners need to take a more active role in 

planning for the future (i.e., Voisey Bay). 

• Look at solutions for lower education levels 

(secondary school system not sensitive 

to issue). 

• Mobile education (post-secondary in 

communities) module based. Example: crane 

operator (10 mile bay), driller, 

office administrator, heavy equipment 

operator, carpentry. 

• Current labour market information (getting 

it to client base). Readiness to go into 

post-secondary in a timely manner. 

• Career guidance (secondary). 

• Literacy programs in the workplace. 

• Hold meetings within the various 

communities and talk to the people. 

8

• Improve AHRDA planning process, 

including flexibility. 

• Planning process, include all stakeholders 

involved and encourage someone to take 

the lead. 

• Lack of accessible labour market 

information: 

– client 

– support agencies. 

• Lack of initiative of private sector to meet/ 

come to the Aboriginal community to discuss 

labour market information. 

• Lack of awareness about the unique needs 

of the Aboriginal workforce. 

• Lack of joint planning process for human 

resource development. 

• Construction side – skilled trades people. 

• Mining – larger size equipment. 

• Opportunities: 

– skilled trades people 

– supervisors: professionals, engineers 

– mining, electrical 

– retirement issues 

– expansion. 

• How to prepare to fill vacancies when 

two-thirds of the workforce retires. 

• Running own supervisor training, have 

a workforce plan in place, 100 

plus vacancies. 

• Retention issues: there is competition of 

wages with the west (i.e., Alberta). 

• Aboriginal numbers in Iron Ore are 

low. Need a more diverse workforce. 

Suggestion: clients find it hard to 

contact Iron Ore; perhaps increase 

human resource personnel. 

• Construction sector: 

– seasonal 

– this years’ season is 50 per cent longer 

than prior years 

– factor: securing tires for big equipment 

impacts duration of season. 

• Training – if pre-trained, employees are 

more attractive. 

• Preservation of equipment passed to 

potential employees – if they have 

simulation training – helps 

(portable training). 

• Need technical solutions for lower 

level skills. 

• The high-tech simulator in Lab West is 

currently underutilized. 

• We are at a point where Aboriginal 

groups and organizations are building 

partnerships/relationships on their own 

without being mandated. 

• Need improved coordination between 

business and Aboriginal groups to recruit 

and make it more attractive for 

potential employees. 

• Expose youth to careers and the way of life 

associated with the jobs early. Example: 

Iron Ore visits schools to talk about 

career opportunities. 

• AHRDAs need to target careers where 

employees are in high demand. 

9

• Provide shop classes for high school 

students. 

• Do we have the right apprenticeship 

program for the time 

• AHRDAs train people but they don’t 

get hired due to lack of experience. 

Suggestion: need a subsidy program 

for incentive to hire. 

• Employers want journeypersons or 

experienced workers. 

• Build the experience into the 

training program. 

• Mentorship is very important and it 

works well. 

• Entry level wages are a deterrent. 

• Funding agencies have programs to assist 

with work experience – connect with 

agencies. 

• Union relations are necessary. 

Overcoming Barriers 

What could be done differently to overcome 

these barriers 

• Customized training designed for client. This 

is being done at: 

– mining mineral processing (Lab West) 

– northern communities, health, (LIP) 

– Department of Human Resources, Labour 

and Employment (HRLE) helps provide 

clients with support they need while 

in training. 

• Recognize skill levels and approach 

employers regardless of employee’s 

skills; may be able to work with potential 

employees. 

• Employers will work with employees to move 

into jobs at a lower level and advance 

if desirable. 

• Employers want AHRDAs to meet to discuss 

ways to increase Aboriginal employment in 

the area. 

• Aboriginal/private sector engagement is 

young for many employers. Be patient 

and persistent. 

• Joint planning process with lead champions 

to bring players together. 

• Work with individuals and their current 

skill levels. 

• Build on current skills such as : 

– leadership development by the Iron Ore 

and the College of North Atlantic 

– Welding by Iron Ore and the College of 

North Atlantic. 

• Provide training as needed. 

10

PART 4: 

SUPPLY SIDE 

Purpose 

Generate discussion from the supply side 

(Aboriginal community) about the labour market 

equation. AHRDAs are setup as advisors to 

business to help increase their understanding of 

the supply side. 

Prior to holding the conversation on the supply 

side, three presentations were made. The 

presentations and a synopsis of each are as 

follows: 

• Clarence Davis, Innu Nation. Presentation on 

the AHRDAs for all three Labrador Aboriginal 

groups. The mandate, programs and services 

that AHRDAs adhere to and deliver was 

presented with some of their contact information 

and examples of projects. 

• Rodney Roberts, Industrial Training Section, 

Department of Education. Presentation 

on apprenticeship and certification in 

Newfoundland and Labrador. Information 

was presented on “what is apprenticeship, 

who is an apprentice and how to become an 

apprentice More information is available 

on the Apprenticeship Employment Gateway 

website at www.gov.nl.ca/app/employment or 

contact the nearest industrial training office @ 

709.896.6348, Happy Valley-Goose Bay. 

• Colin Forward, College of North Atlantic. 

Presentation on the college system in Labrador 

and mentioned that a “white paper” has been 

released that gives trades training a very high 

priority. In the recent provincial budget there 

was funds established for trades training. 

The following is a very brief summary of highlights 

that outline concerns and issues taken from various 

reports and conversations presented on the supply 

side of labour market equation: 

• Need knowledge of jobs – what jobs, where 

are they, how many employees are needed 

and how to apply for them. 

• Need commitment from employers to 

work together. 

• Definition is needed on what is meant 

by “qualified”. 

• Find time to hold sessions to 

build relationships. 

• Cultural training has to be two-way. 

• There is a need for childcare facilities. 

• Expect that there will be failures and do not 

let this jeopardize relationships. 

• Need a job database as well as an 

inventory of skilled labour. 

• Need to ensure there is 

adequate transportation. 

• There is a need for good quality, 

meaningful employment. 

• Companies have to take into consideration 

that Aboriginal Peoples are quiet people, 

which cause difficulties during the interview 

process. 

• AHRDAs should be able to do 

year-round training. 

• Need to know how and whom to contact in 

the AHRDAs and Aboriginal communities. 

• Language can sometimes be a barrier. 

• If there is shift-work, pair Aboriginal 

people together. 

• Employers have to know what rules and 

regulations AHRDAs need to follow. 

11

Participants were separated into groups and were 

asked to respond to a number of questions. The 

following is a summary of the responses from the 

various groups: 

Barriers to Employment 

What barriers exist for Aboriginal people wanting 

to secure employment with the private sector 

• AHRDAs have good employees who 

are trained. 

• AHRDAs don’t know what 

opportunities exist. 

• Commitment from employers to work 

together is hard to get. 

• Voisey’s Bay model is working well. Impact 

Benefits Agreement (IBA) helped/forced this 

but it is gradually turning into the way to 

do business. 

• Training may not be exactly suitable 

to employers. 

• Employers do not know what skills are 

out there. 

• Supply Side: There are other issues (i.e., 

union, housing, discrimination). 

• Need to establish relationships between 

Aboriginal groups and business. 

• Set aside time and resources for 

relationship building. 

• Relationships must be open and transparent. 

• Need to overcome stereotyping. 

• Provide cultural awareness training – 

both ways. 

• Build respect for Aboriginal Peoples/ 

communities/culture. 

• Allow for failures as well as successes. 

• Aboriginal women are an untapped labour 

source: 

– Inuit have done well with Voisey’s Bay 

– separate workshops for women 

– need summit for women 

– women take more care. 

• Elements of a meaningful partnership 

– build trust, honesty 

– commitments from both sides 

– strategies, objectives 

– clear role and responsible solutions. 

– transparency (open) 

– understand goals, objectives and 

expectations of each other 

– regular commitment to meet 

(monthly/quarterly) 

– build the relationship 

– first there will be successes and failures 

– arms-length cultural representative 

– AHRDAs: train in the winter, work in 

summer, need better system to get 

access for business 

– reduce red tape 

– tie success of partnership to success 

of project 

– connectivity between training and job 

– partner with industry – why aren’t 

AHRDAs loading up industry with 

apprentices 

– Basic communication – talk to 

each other. 

12

• Voisey’s Bay representative mentioned that 

people need to keep their resume up-to-date. 

Skills training in this area may be needed 

so that information on potential employees 

is quickly available. The employer needs 

to know what specific pieces of equipment 

the employee can operate, how many hours 

have been logged on it, etc. 

• The Voisey’s Bay project started people in 

the unskilled workforce. There are good 

levels of employment but feel that many of 

the employees were doing cleaning, etc. It 

takes time to be a good employee, whatever 

the job may be. 

• To bid for a job you need to have a 

skilled labour force available. And to be 

competitive, you need to have an Aboriginal 

skilled workforce. At Voisey’s Bay there is a 

requirement for 33 per cent of the workforce 

to be skilled Aboriginals in order to meet 

federal guidelines for Aboriginal businesses. 

If you can’t train people on the job, how are 

you to develop this workforce 

• There is a lack of coordination among 

agencies. For example, more than one 

group is offering prospecting training. 

• Recruitment and retention issues: training is 

meaningful employment and will increase 

retention. Young people want more than 

labour jobs. Voisey’s Bay takes employees 

to the job site to see how they function in 

that setting before candidates are chosen. 

The lifestyle challenges of working on such 

a job site can be hard on families. Example: 

an Australian lecturer spoke of a mining 

project where families were flown in and 

included in job site activities to decrease 

tension in families caused by the absence 

of a parent. 

• AHRDA funding should be available all year 

long. AHRDAs could train people in winter 

but sometimes there is no money left for 

training until spring, when work begins. 

• There is too much red tape. Service Canada 

needs to be more flexible. 

• The question was asked as to whether there 

was one point of contact for all Labrador 

AHRDAs; in fact they are all separate. 

The AHRDAs could help significantly with 

training in the off-season. 

• The two-weeks in/two-weeks out model is 

good for families on the coast because they 

need to hunt wild meat and cut wood as a 

part of their traditional life, and because 

food and fuel are so expensive on the coast. 

This model is also good because people 

are simply unwilling to leave for such long 

periods of time. Companies must adjust 

to the lifestyle situation. Some people are 

accustomed to seasonal work and find it 

hard to adjust to working all year. 

• Wage subsidy programs work for 

some people. 

• New employees are not as productive; 

employers need to expect them to take time. 

Job training funding would be good in these 

situations because companies would not 

lose out when inexperienced employees are 

less productive. 

• Lack of communication, coordination and 

attention between all organizations. 

• Need to have up-to-date and very specific 

information, especially on database. 

• Need to be able to train on the job as part 

of the contract. 

• Need company profiles (there is a lack of 

awareness in Aboriginal communities). 

• Need more effort to recruit. 

• Geography (Labrador) travel budget 

is limited. 

• Balance for skilled workforce vs. 

representation from Aboriginal group. 

13

• Provide financial planning at the 

“personal level”. 

• Consult with appropriate 

community members. 

• Release employees for training at the 

right time. 

• Some Aboriginal clients are on income 

support (security). 

• Should be a common database of potential 

employees/jobs. 

• There is a shortage of housing. 

• Need childcare. 

• Work takes people away from personal 

homes/lifestyles. 

• Many Aboriginal people are used to 

seasonal work. Full-time employment, while 

desirable, involves a lifestyle change. 

• Are people with disabilities 

being represented 

• Need money to put to action. 

• AHRDAs do not have a full understanding 

of the work for them to be effective 

recruitment partners. 

• An entrant testing is a barrier because they 

are not passing the tests. 

• Competency Assessment Test (CAT) is a tool 

that is desirable and in some cases is 

being used. 

• Need to recognize prior learning. 

• If a barrier is identified, clients are sent to 

adult basic education (ABE). 

• There is a test to get into ABE – many are 

not successful in passing this test. 

• Adults in ABE have family responsibilities 

too long to complete ABE 

• ABE is eating a large percentage of AHRDA 

budget vs. skills development and 

targeted wages. 

• Full-time adult literacy educator hired at 

Voisey’s Bay. 

• Looking to deliver ABE on-site in 

Voisey’s Bay. 

• Short-term skill training being provided (i.e., 

math - used for stair framing). 

• Don’t focus all efforts on construction work 

as it is nomadic. 

• Take advantage of long-term jobs. 

• Retention - keep employees in 

the organization. 

• Provide incentives as part of compensation 

– 24 per cent of wages additional bonus. 

• Employment opportunities: 

– mining/processing: running camp 

(electricians, plumbers) 

– marine transportation sector has many 

employment opportunities both regional 

and worldwide - deckhand (entry 

level), ship officers, deck officers, and 

engineering officers; 

o 

o 

o 

deckhand training 80 per cent 

employment for successful 

participants 

four months in the classroom/ 

three-months on the job 

Grade 7 requirement. 

• Easier to recruit at entry level 

(labourer position). 

• Employers want flexibility/multi-skills. 

• Employers pay for knowledge – 

progression plan. 

• Employers promote from within. 

14

• Business requires two things: 

– Help us ensure that people who 

take training are realistic about job 

requirements (i.e., 12-hour days, seven 

days/week, and two weeks on/off); 

o 

o 

o 

o 

AHRDAs get involved in jobreadiness 

training period through 

sensitization of clients in community 

and on-site through funding 

ABE on-site 

Run day camp 

Registered nurses help to address 

diabetes by encouraging people to 

eat at least three meals a day as 

workers can’t control blood sugar if 

they don’t eat properly, especially 

at camp. 

– Apprenticeships and skilled trades; 

o 

Problem: can get training but 

cannot get experience. Ask AHRDA 

to pay one-year wages. 

• Companies will invent their own 

training programs. 

• Deliver training in home communities. 

• Provide exposure to candidates to actual 

job conditions. 

• Realistic expectations in terms of outcomes. 

• Don’t base success on 100 per cent 

successful completion. 

• More accurate labour market requirements 

from business. 

• Some Aboriginal clients lack of selfconfidence. 

• Clients have family obligations. 

• Aboriginal Peoples have a different value 

system. There are culture differences. 

Employers should be aware of Aboriginal 

value systems (hierarchical vs. community). 

• Language barriers. 

• Employers should use the AHRDAs. 

However, so many different points of 

contact: band councils, community 

economic development officers, 

employment counsellors. 

• Who is the one person with the AHRDAs to 

talk to about all programs 

• Business doesn’t want to talk for too long, 

very busy, want results/answers “today or 

this week”. 

• Time constraints – AHRDAs have work plans 

and slower turn-around time while business 

acts “fast”. 

• Torngait Service Inc. sent 12 Inuit people to 

Ontario for driller helper/assistant training. 

There is a high probability of a job at the 

end of training. 

• Cultural clashes – language issues, Innu 

speakers, Innu music. 

• Balance – during turn-around, if 20 Innu 

leave, do 20 Innu arrive 

• Challenge: non-Aboriginal people require 

cultural sensitivity training. Training should 

be ongoing, fresh and relevant. 

• Lack of resources (people) delivering cultural 

sensitivity training. 

• This is a big adjustment for Aboriginal and 

non-Aboriginal alike. 

• Distinguish between discrimination, 

frustration and insensitivity. 

15

• Treat everyone the same, hears the same 

information and this information is passed 

on so you have to make sure that the 

message is converted properly and it can’t 

be left to interpretation as it could 

cause problems. 

• Business should not make assumptions (i.e., 

bereavement leave). 

• Need a zero tolerance policy for racism, 

sexual harassment, etc. 

• One-Two, next steps: 

– AHRDAs can provide wage subsidies to 

business to hire Aboriginal clients (52 

weeks maximum plus education). 

– put AHRDA rule book on the side – think 

outside of the box. 

– AHRDAs help business with development 

of cultural sensitization training. 

Overcoming Barriers 

What could be done differently to overcome these 

barriers What advice do the AHRDAs have 

for business 

• More flexibility to meet the needs 

of business. 

• More cross-cultural training. 

• More focus on work experience for 

same – on-the-job training. 

• Job training funding for businesses (i.e., 

excel training for specific job). 

• Give them meaningful employment/ 

compensation. 

• Two weeks on/two-weeks off schedule – it 

takes time to adjust to the lifestyle. 

• All levels within a company need to be 

respectful of culture and language. 

• Provide pre-apprenticeship training at high 

school level. 

• Rotational work schedule. 

• Target younger people. 

• More job sharing, collective efforts, 48 jobs 

done by Grade 5. 

• Improve the quality of education. 

• Increase number of high school graduates. 

• Interview skills; 

– cross cultural awareness 

– (i.e., quiet and shy). 

• During turnaround, ensure that there is more 

than two Innu left. 

• The point was made that some skilled 

people don’t come across well in interviews 

because they are shy or because it is not 

culturally appropriate to play up your own 

abilities. Interview training would be useful 

for these people. 

COMMITMENTS 

The following go-forward commitments were made 

at the session: 

• Iron Ore will travel to communities and 

conduct job opportunity workshops. 

• Silver Spruce Resources will meet with 

Nunatsiavut Government – about possible 

employment-mineral exploration. 

• Innu-Sheshatshui will promote career 

information centre. 

• Mining information kits will be sent out to 

groups shortly on best practices in mining. 

• Labrador Friendship Centre will meet with 

AHRDAs to fill a vacancy. 

• Voisey’s Bay will meet with AHRDAs over 

the next couple of months. 

16

• Subject to privacy legislation, Voisey’s Bay 

is prepared to turn over their Labrador skills 

inventory to someone. 

• Voisey’s Bay Aboriginal employment 

coordinators will meet with 

AHRDA representatives. 

• Canadian Paraplegic Association will meet 

with AHRDAs over the next few months 

– people with disabilities. 

• Labrador Institute will share information on 

job opportunities. 

• Human Resources, Labour and Employment 

teleconference, career development 

practitioners will follow-up on all. What’s 

needed then (gaps to help Aboriginal clients 

seeking employment opportunities) Resume 

up-to-date. 

• Service Canada will hold a workshop for 

career development practitioners. 

• Iron Ore commits to make contact with all 

Aboriginal groups. 

• Nunatsiavut commits to making contact with 

the private sector. 

• Sheshatshi Innu First Nation – contact 

information brochure will be updated 

and made available to 

employers/organizations. 

• Use email to network/share information. 

• Create Labrador database – need full-time 

person to maintain a job bank. Integrate 

college system into database; postgraduates 

list. 

• Invite companies directly to Aboriginal 

communities. 

• Speak to Aboriginal political body about 

this forum and hold community information 

sessions on the outcomes of this forum. 

• At annual AHRDA meeting (have more 

regionally), conduct outreach with different 

sectors to get to know each other. 

• Within AHRDAs, build capacity and 

understanding of issues with the 

private sector. 

• Start recruitment younger (i.e., 

high-school level). 

• Exchange business cards now! 

• Partner AHRDA programming with other 

human resources, labour and employment 

tools and programs. Sit down at the 

same table. 

• AHRDAs offer knowledge of community that 

the business community can tap into. 

• AHRDAs post job offers, receive resumes 

and assist in selection process. 

• Prepare a list of upcoming jobs at Iron Ore; 

make list widely available via website. 

• Travel to communities and hold more career 

information sessions. 

• Create a labour market information 

strategy for better communications 

among businesses 

• Organize our efforts to deal with labour 

market shortage (leadership required to pull 

partners together). 

• Rebirth of youth employment strategy. 

17

• Create ways to overcome geographic 

barriers “Smart Labrador Initiative” was 

a good start. 

• Develop a more of a co-op approach to 

apprenticeship. 

• Get career information into the 

high schools. 

• Have post secondary institutes work more 

jointly on projects with the 

Aboriginal communities. 

• Improve communication among employers, 

AHRDAs and others. 

• National Prospectors and Developers 

Association is one organization that 

is looking to increase its capacity with 


• Explore ‘partnership’ what or how to define 

it. Could lead to some ongoing structure. 

• A Pan-Labrador Aboriginal website/ 

databanks should be established and 

maintained (job seekers need to keep their 

curriculum vitae up-to-date). 

• Employers should communicate 

job vacancies: 

– websites 

– newspapers. 

• Request a list of the private sector and all 

participants who attended this forum with 

contact information. 

• Seek greater involvement of the Aboriginal 

Human Resource Development Council of 

Canada (AHRDCC) in Labrador. 

further planning activities. One of their 

activities could be to develop a Labrador 

Council of Champions that could be 

responsible for the promotion of Aboriginal 

awareness. The council could be comprised 

of three-quarters Aboriginal groups, federal 

departments and several major companies 

(Suncor, Syncrude). 

• One of the ideas of this council would 

be to become an associate with local 

organizations such as the chamber 

of commerce. 

• Visitation of public service employers to 

visit communities and to have AHRDAs 

visit workplaces. 

• Check into the viability of the development 

of a training consortium (coordinating 

group), which could have a membership 

of consisting of companies, AHRDAs, and 

training institutes. 

• Suggest one main website for Labrador 

AHRDAs that contains information and 

contacts, which also could be a gateway to 

a database. 

Sustaining Connections: Closing Statements 

Sandy Stevens, National Director, Aboriginal 

Trades & Apprenticeship Development, AHDCC, 

thanked all the participants for their hard work 

throughout the day. Once the Labrador Workforce 

Connex forum report is completed, a follow-up 

meeting will be held with the steering committee to 

decide next steps. 

A more in-depth description of the National Trades 

Project is contained in the next section. 

• Steering committee could take the lead on 

18

THE NATIONAL 

TRADES PROJECT 

AHRDCC is responding to Canada’s growing 

need for skilled trade and apprenticeship workers 

through a new national trades and apprenticeship 

project. This three-year initiative, designed to 

develop new partnerships and employment 

strategies, will give employers and trainers 

enhanced access to Canada’s largely untapped 

and existing human capital of Aboriginal people 

who are eager to fill the employment gap. 

This innovative initiative will create, strengthen 

and leverage partnerships with private-public 

sectors, Aboriginal employment organizations, 

learning institutions and government stakeholders 

in an effort to collaborate on methods to recruit 

and retain Aboriginal participation in trades 

and apprenticeship. 

Members of the AHRDCC trades and 

apprenticeship team have been actively supporting 

the AHRDA community with current projects and 

future initiatives that will successfully advance 

Aboriginal interests in trades and apprenticeship. 

The forum series, Workforce Connex, is the first of 

many trades and apprenticeship initiatives to link 

national and regional employers with opportunities 

to connect to provincial Aboriginal employment 

training, recruitment agencies and associations. 

The work done in Labrador will be integrated 

into a single report that will be used to shape 

initiatives in the overarching national trades and 

apprenticeship project. 

Ultimately, the project is designed to link people 

and ideas. The project will provide regional 

and national links to groups involved in trades 

and apprenticeship across Canada. Initiatives 

will increase skills, learning and employment 

opportunities and open doors for stakeholders to 

work together on local and regional projects 

and initiatives. 

The trades and apprenticeship project is 

administered by AHRDCC and funded through a 

$2.9 million contribution from Human Resources 

and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC). 

AHRDCC is a not-for-profit public-private 

organization with a mandate to increase 

Aboriginal participation in Canadian 

labour markets. 

For further information on the national trades and 

apprenticeship project contact a team member: 

• Sandra Stevens 

National Director Aboriginal Trades & 

Apprenticeship Development 

sandra.stevens@ahrdcc.com 

• Peggy Berndt 

Manager Communications & Marketing 

peggy.berndt@ahrdcc.com 

• Victoria LaBillois 

Eastern Trades Liaison victoria. 

labillois@ahrdcc.com 

• David Lindley 

Western Trades Liaison 

david.lindley@ahrdcc.com 

• Colleen Ostlund 

Administrative Coordinator colleen. 

ostlund@ahrdcc.com 

Aboriginal Human Resource 

Development Council of Canada (AHRDCC) 

820 - 606 Spadina Crescent East 

Saskatoon, SK, 

S7K 3H1 

Toll Free: 1-866-711-5091 

Fax: 1-306-956-5361 

Email: contact.us@ahrdcc.com 

19

FORUM AGENDA 

Workforce Connex Labrador Forum 

June 19, 2006 

Appendix 1 

Agenda: 

TIME 

ACTIVITY 

TIME 

ACTIVITY 

8:30 AM Registration 

9:00 AM Introductions 

9:05 AM Opening Ceremony 

9:25 AM Orientation 

Opening prayer 

Opening remarks 

Opening addresses 

from dignitaries 

9:30 AM Labour Market Overview 

Current overview 

Future outlook 

12:00 PM Lunch 

1:00 PM Supply Side Issues 

& Roundtable 

Overview of Aboriginal 

communities & Aboriginal 

(AHRDAs) 

Overview of education 

sector 

Conversation 

Sharing the conversation 

2:30 PM Nutrition & Networking 

2:45 PM Strategies & Commitments 

Roundtable 

10:15 AM Demand Side Issues 

& Roundtable 

Panel discussion: 

construction sector, mining 

sector and others. 

3:45 PM Sustaining Connections: 

Closing Statements 

4:00 PM Closing prayer 

10:50 AM Nutrition & Networking 

11:20 AM Conversation 

Sharing the conversation. 

20

Appendix 2 

ATTENDANCE 

21 

PARTICIPANT ORGANIZATION LOCATION 

1. Adams, Tracey Labrador Métis Nation Happy Valley- 

Goose Bay 

2. Anderson, Gerald Marine Institute St. John’s 

3. Anderson, Martha Mushuau Innu First Nation Natuashish 

4. Aylward, Mary Ann Minaskuat Limited Partnership Goose Bay 

5. Baikie, Sheldon Department of Labrador and Aboriginal Affairs, Happy Valley- 


Goose Bay 

6. Baikie-Anderson, Roberta Nunatsiavut Government - Inuit Pathways Makkovik 

7. Borden, Tanya Service Canada Happy Valley- 

Goose Bay 

8. Breisacher, Laura Innu Business Development Centre Goose Bay 

9. Brennan, Lucy Nunatsiavut Government-PSSSP St. John’s 

10. Connors, Shelia Human Resources, Labour & Employment Happy Valley- 

Goose Bay 

11. Curl, Darlene Labrador Friendship Centre Happy Valley- 

Goose Bay 

12. Davis, Clarence Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation Sheshatshiu 

13. Donnelly, Kem HRSDC - Aboriginal Affairs Gatineau 

14. Dyson, Billie Labrador Métis Nation Cartwright 

15. Earle, Debbie College of The North Atlantic Happy Valley- 

Goose Bay 

16. Earle, Dorothy Mushuau Innu First Nation Natuashish 

17. Edwards, Brent Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency Happy Valley- 

Goose Bay 

18. Evans, Tom Nunatsiavut Government - Inuit Pathways Makkovik 

19. Foley, Morgan Friendship Centre Happy Valley- 

Goose Bay


20. Forward, Colin College of the North Atlantic Baie Verte 

21. Gear, Diane Town of Labrador City Labrador City 

22. Gibbons, Genevieve Service Canada Happy Valley- 

Goose Bay 

23. Goudie, Rex Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency Happy Valley- 

Goose Bay 

24. Gregoire, Jerry Mushuau Innu First Nation Natuashish 

25. Hinks, Lorraine Service Canada Happy Valley- 

Goose Bay 

26. Hollett, Dave H.J. O’Connell Construction Limited St. John’s 

27. Joncas, Guylaine Minaskuat Limited Partnership Happy Valley- 

Goose Bay 

28. Kelly, Dagan Service Canada Happy Valley- 

Goose Bay 

29. Kuyper, Clementine Innu Business Development Centre Happy Valley- 

Goose Bay 

30. Lane, Cathy Labrador Friendship Centre Happy Valley- 

Goose Bay 

31. Learning, Betty Human Resources, Labour and Employment Happy Valley- 

Goose Bay 

32. MacDonald, Martha Labrador Institute of Northern Studies, Happy Valley- 

Memorial University 

Goose Bay 

33. McGrath Cheryl Canadian Paraplegic Association Happy Valley- 

Goose Bay 

34. McNeill, Tim Nunatsiavut Government 

35. Montague, Chris Labrador Métis Nation 

36. Moss, Amelia 

37. Nuna, Edward Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation Sheshatshiu 

22


38. Nuna, Greg Voisey’s Bay Nickel Company Ltd. Happy Valley- 

Goose Bay 

39. Oakley, Walter SNC - Lavalin 

40. O’Connell, Gerry Chamber of Mineral Resources St. John’s 

41. Paddon, Tom Voisey’s Bay Nickel Company Ltd. Happy Valley- 

Goose Bay 

42. Page, Al Construction Sector Council Victoria 

43. Penashuem Jack Aimi Consulting Sheshatshiu 

44. Penashue, Rena Aimi Consulting Sheshatshiu 

45. Penashue, Kanani Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation Sheshatshiu 

46. Pittman, Larry Voisey’s Bay Nickel Company Ltd. Happy Valley- 

Goose Bay 

47. Ponniuk, Ben Nunatsiavut Government 

48. Presado, Carlos Labrador Catering 

49. Ralph, Patsy Iron Ore Company of Canada 

50. Riche, Gemma Sheshatshiu Innu First Nation Sheshatshiu 

51. Rideout, Jennifer Department of Human Resources, Happy Valley- 

Labour & Employment 

Goose Bay 

52. Roberts, Rodney Apprenticeship Division Industrial Training 

53. Rumbolt, Agnes Department of Human Resources, Happy Valley- 

Labour & Employment 

Goose Bay 

54. Saunders, Kim Nunatsiavut Government North West River 

55. Simms, Bob College North Atlantic Happy Valley- 

Goose Bay 

56. Snook, Jamie Labour Métis Nation 

57. Swain, Donna Service Canada Happy Valley- 

Goose Bay 

23

58. Taplin, Catherine Iron Ore Company of Canada Labrador City 

59. Toope, Pam Department of Human Resources, St. John’s 

Labour and Employment 

60. Turner, Sherry Employment Assistance Services/Labrador Happy Valley- 

Friendship Centre 

Goose Bay 

61. Turner, Sandra SERCO 

62. Vaters, Deborah Canadian Paraplegic Association Happy Valley- 

Goose Bay 

63. Wade, Cecilia College of the North Atlantic Happy Valley- 

Goose Bay 

64. Webb, Valerie Torngait Services Inc. (TSI) Happy Valley- 

Goose Bay 

24

Appendix 3 

EVALUATION SUMMARY 

Happy Valley-Goose Bay, LABRADOR - RESULTS 

3. Were the information materials you received at the 

forum valuable to you 

Yes ..........................................................32 

No ........................................................... 1 

No Indication ............................................ 0 

Summary 

The Labrador Workforce Connex forum attracted 

delegates from AHRDA, private sector organizations 

and government. In total, 64 participants were 

in attendance. 33 evaluations were received; 

representing a participant return rate of 52 per 

cent. Response sector demographics are broken down 

as follows: 

4. Did you visit the Workforce Connex (www. 

workforceconnex.com) website prior to the forum 

Yes ..........................................................21 

No ..........................................................12 

No Indication ............................................ 0 

Private sector delegates ..............................12 

AHRDAs .................................................... 4 

Unknown .................................................17 

General Questions and Responses 

1. Please forward me a copy of the forum report 

as follows: 

By Email ........................................................ 26 

By Canada Post ............................................... 4 

By Email & Canada Post ................................... 1 

No Indication .................................................. 2 

2. Did the Workforce Connex forum meet your 

expectations 

Yes ..........................................................33 

No ........................................................... 0 

No Indication ............................................ 0 

5. Did you have sufficient advance notice about the 

forum 

Yes ..........................................................29 

No ........................................................... 4 

No Indication ............................................ 0 

6. One thing I liked about the forum... 

• Informative. 

• Networking. 

• Monies are available. 

• Networking, better understanding of needs and 

potential opportunities. 

• The group exchange of information. 

• Getting to know people and what they do! 

• Meeting with other people/businesses that are 

working towards a common goal. 

• It dealt with many Aboriginal issues and seeks 

assistance with solutions. 

25

• Open dialogue and action items set. 

• Group breakout sessions – exchange 

of information. 

• Great way to meet others who can help with 

programs/services related. 

• Mixed views presented. 

• Many practical action items – people ready 

now to partner. 

• Lot of information sharing. Let’s hope it results 

in more positive action. 

• It was a great opportunity to network. 

• Well organized, with a good no non-sense 

approach to time management. Kept everyone 

on track. 

• Chance to talk with different, AHRDAs/ 

industries etc. 

• Aboriginal groups had an opportunity to meet 

with the private sector and discuss issues. 

• Relaxed atmosphere. 

• Variety of participants and perspectives. 

• Hearing other peoples ideas and commitments. 

• Open communication to all groups. 

• Breakout groups, chance for everyone to 

be heard. 

• Connecting with others. 

• Networking, lot of practical information. 

• Group sessions. 

• Networking opportunity. 

• The sharing of ideas, basically everyone in the 

same boat. 

• Very informative and comfortable. 

7. One thing I would change about the forum 

• More communication – need to work on 

advertisement/promotion. 

• Make sure all appropriate stakeholders are 

invited and are given good context of 

the forum. 

• The choice of location for the meeting. 

• Nothing. 

• It would have been good to have an 

information table – business people/company 

information – addresses and 

contact information. 

• Have the facilitator introduce the various 

government agencies and explain their role 

and responsibility. 

• More concrete labour market information. 

Contact information of all participants. 

• Presentations should be included in packages. 

Too much information on PowerPoint 

presentations -- people are unable to read as 

print is too small. Lower lights to enable clear 

view. Include list of presenters in packages. Ask 

participants to either turn off cell phones or put 

them on vibrate. 

• Nothing. 

• Better break-down of the working groups to 

ensure the business sector was represented in 

each group. But, what can you do in one day. 

• More printed info on AHRDAs and 

participants attending. 

• More time to follow-up on strategies. More 

representatives from private sector. 

• More Aboriginal participation/representation. 

26

• Add more group session and talk. 

• PowerPoint slide – too much information on one 

slide – hard to see from the back of the room. 

Before session starts, ask people to turn off their 

cell phones. 

• Good session. 

• Nothing – It was well planned. 

• More information on how an AHRDA operates. 

• Better break-down of the working groups to 

ensure the business sector was represented in 

each group. But, what can you do in one day. 

8. Participants were asked to rate the following 

questions using the following scale: 

5 4 3 2 1 0 1 2 3 4 5 

S T R O N G LY A G R E E S T R O N G LY D I S A G R E E 

PRIVATE SECTOR 

a. Prior to attending this Workforce Connex 

forum, I had a high level of awareness about 

the Aboriginal Human Resource Development 

Agreement holders. 

Strongly agree ................................ 13 

Strongly disagree ............................ 11 

ABORIGINAL HUMAN RESOURCE 

DEVELOPMENT AGREEMENT 

HOLDERS (AHRDA) 

a. Prior to attending this forum, my AHRDA has 

experienced many challenges developing 

relationships with businesses. 


Strongly disagree .............................. 1 

b. As a result of this forum, I am coming away 

with a better understanding of the constraints 

and impediments that Aboriginal people face 

in their efforts to work with companies and 

secure employment. 


Strongly disagree ............................. 3 

b. This Workforce Connex forum has helped 

me to better understand the issues and 

constraints that businesses face in their 

efforts to recruit and retain Aboriginal people. 


Strongly disagree ............................. 3 

c. I intend to develop a plan to increase my 

organization’s recruitment and retention of 

Aboriginal people. 


27 

Strongly disagree .............................. 2

Glossary Of Terms 

ACRONYM 

DEFINITION 

ABE 

AHRDCC 

AHRDAs 

HRSDC 

HRLE 

IN 

NS 

Adult Basic Education 


Aboriginal Human Resources Development Agreements holders 

Human Resources & Social Development Council 

Department of Human Resources, Labour and Employment 

Innu Nation 

Nunatsiavut Government 

28

Canada’s leading innovators in Aboriginal recruitment, retention and advancement. 

This project is funded by the Government of Canada, Human Resources and Social Development

Labrador - Aboriginal Human Resource Council

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