Workforce connex - Aboriginal Human Resource Council

•••••••••••••••••••Want full-time not part-time work.Need flex work hours.Sacrifice community life for job.Not qualified — experience and/or education.Live too far from jobs — away from home (home sick).Don’t know where to go to get the job.Don’t feel comfortable with non-natives.Can’t afford to work.Last work experience not good.Don’t know what interests me.Don’t have the interview skills.Don’t know what types of jobs are available.Not knowing the qualifications required.Didn’t finish school.Can’t afford the education for a job.Don’t believe they want to hire Aboriginal people.Need to start earlier (youth).Need greater career awareness — schools aren’t providingcareer counseling.Lack of connection for Elders.PART 3: Market OverviewSamuel LeBreton, Senior Economist, Service Canada did a presentation on thelabour market overview for New Brunswick. The title of this PowerPoint is LookingAhead - A 10-year outlook for the New Brunswick Labour Market (2006-2015).PART 4: Demand/Supply Issues RoundtablePurposeA general discussion from the supply side (Aboriginal community) and thedemand side (employers) of the labour market equation. Participants wereseparated into small groups and asked to respond to a number of questions.The purpose of this discussion was to get to know AHRDAs and the Aboriginalcommunities. To open the discussion, Alex Dedam, Co-Chair, Joint EconomicDevelopment Initiative (JEDI) provided an overview of the AHRDAs in NewBrunswick. He and his fellow colleagues circulated updated lists of all theAHRDAs in the province. He indicated that the key to success is having mutualrespect and to build partnerships that have mutual benefits for both partners.When the group discussion began, AHRDAs were asked to be setup as advisorsto business to understand the supply side. The dialogue questions were:Ask Employers:What challenges and frustrations do employers face toengage community?Is there anything you need to know about AHRDAs that willimprove your engagement with the Aboriginal community?What are the difficulties with recruitment and retention ofAboriginal workers?Ask AHRDAs:How do you get the word out about your clients?Provide advice to businesses about how to overcome barriersto positive engagement with AHRDAs?The results of the supply side conversation are provided below.Challenges and FrustrationsRecruitment and Retention challenges:••••••••••••••AHRDC/newspaper/ad/log support people in community colleges: don’tknow how to tap into First Nations resources – such as the nationalAboriginal job board, the Inclusion Network at www.inclusionnetwork.ca.Employment and training officers are a key when itcomes to matching clients to employers.Business needs easy contact route to circulate postings — setup jointwebsite for all AHRDA holders to make it easier for employers.Employers have to use different strategies for recruitment. Are First Nationsmaking themselves available? Who has the onus for making contact?Make sure the correct stakeholders/front-lineworkers get the required information.How do employers reach clients? Is there a frontlineworker for corporations?Big corporations need a liaison worker to contactemployment and training officers.Corporations should provide information sessionsat job fairs to explain job opportunities.Entry test could be verbal not written.Location of jobs require clients to move away from home.Need to know the screening processes in business.Affirmative action – is it good or bad?Reach out to First Nations to get the workers –at Grade 7-12, job fairs/long-term planning.Recruitment costs are expensive for small employers.• Summer job work experience is very important–get the clients knownto the employer.10Aboriginal Human Resource CouncilNew Brunswick Workforce Connex Report