Challenges and Solutions

Challenges:

Employers have difficulty hiring and retaining Aboriginal people because the workplace and the process of recruitment is not set up for their culture. Challenges include:

• Finding an appropriate platform to access the Aboriginal community to advertise job openings,
• Presentation, describing the job in a way in which Aboriginal people will see a match with their qualifications,
• Competitiveness, recruiters screening in Aboriginal candidates when their resumes typically do not describe their skills and accomplishments as confidently as non-aboriginal candidates,
• Clarity, interviewers recognizing ability and skills when they are not presented as pronounced and as confidently as non-aboriginal candidates,
• Integration, helping the Aboriginal employee feel supported and welcome in the workplace, showing him/her how things work and why,
• Poverty, many Aboriginal people have little money and therefore may not have a business wardrobe and transportation to work.

Solutions:

Employers who invest in learning about Aboriginal people in Calgary and surrounding reserves, their history and culture will go a long way to successfully attracting, hiring and retaining Aboriginal workers. A wealth of information is available online, at the Aboriginal Human Resource Council website including the "Mastering Aboriginal Inclusion" or "MAI" program, as well as other products and services for employers: www.aboriginalhr.ca.

The City of Calgary website hosts a link to the Aboriginal Urban Affairs Committee see: www.calgary.ca under "City Hall", then "Boards and Committees", "Boards, Commissions and Committees" and finally "Calgary Aboriginal Urban Affairs Committee". This page provides information about Aboriginal people in Calgary, services provided for them and links to other sources of information.

The City of Calgary Youth Employment Centre offers Aboriginal Services to both youth and Calgary employers. Services for youth include job searching, career planning, resume development and consultation, Internet access, interview preparation and connections to an Aboriginal career advisor. Services for employers include recruitment and retention services, posting job opportunities free of charge, career development and creating work experiences for Aboriginal youth. For additional information please visit www.nextsteps.org or call (403) 268-5463.

Ripple Effects Ltd. is an Aboriginal awareness training organization that provides custom training and online training modules. see: www.ripplefx.ca.

Spirit Staffing and Consulting Inc. and Fast Labour Solutions provide staff for business specializing in Aboriginal people: www.spiritstaffing.com.

The Aboriginal Inclusion Network links employers to Aboriginal job seekers across Canada. Employers can post jobs on the network at: www.inclusionnetwork.ca.

The Native Investment and Trade Association offers a wealth of information about Aboriginal business, the Aboriginal culture and available talent in Western Canada www.native-invest-trade.com.

Most secondary and post secondary schools have programs and services for Aboriginal students and are good contacts for referrals and information:

• University of Calgary's Native Centre: www.ucalgary.ca/nativecr/
• SAIT's Aboriginal Resource Centre and Chinook Lodge: www.sait.ca/pages/studentservices/aboriginalstudents/
• Bow Valley College partners with First Nations communities to offer a variety of programs tailored to the needs of Aboriginal students i.e. Aboriginal Practical Nurse Diploma. See: www.bowvalleycollege.ca/campus-services/aboriginal-centre.html
• Mount Royal College offers the Aboriginal Education Program which is a university and college preparation program designed to meet the needs of Aboriginal students, preparing to pursue post secondary educational opportunities: www.mtroyal.ca/ProgramsCourses/FacultiesSchoolsCentres/IniskimCentre/index.htm
• Metis Calgary Family Services' Aboriginal Students Program visit: www.mcfs.ca or call: (403) 240-4642.
• Aboriginal Futures Career & Training Centre, funded by Treaty Seven Economic Development Corporation (under the Aboriginal Human Resource Development Agreement) and Service Canada offer an Aboriginal Apprenticeship Program (AAAP), see: www.aboriginalfutures.com