Labrador - Aboriginal Human Resource Council

• 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.
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