Uchucklesaht Tribe hosted an education/career forum at Athletic Hall on Dec. 18, open to all students in the Alberni Valley.
The event featured a keynote address by Caledonia Fred of the Nuu-chah-nulth Economic Development Corporation, plus a hall full of booths representing the many organizations both to guide the career paths and to recruit young First Nations members in the Valley.
“Our objective is to get all of our Uchucklesaht students participating in this – we have about 25 in the Valley – and we have invited all the schools in the area,” said Uchucklesaht Director of Human Services Charlotte Rampanen. “We want our Uchucklesaht citizens to be able to see the kinds of education that is available to them, and the kinds of careers that are out there.
The morning’s events included an interactive workshop with painter Crystal Easton and a carving demonstration by Jason Titian, followed by a panel discussion featuring representatives of Uchucklesaht Tribe Government, NTC, the Nuu-chah-nulth Employment and Training Program, Island Health and the RCMP.
In her opening address, Fred said despite experiencing a number of setbacks during her youth, including dropping out of high school, she was fortunate to have people who believed in her potential, and who were willing to give her a second chance.
At 19, now a single mother with two children, she decided to complete her Grade 12.
“I didn’t realize at that point I could do anything more than get my Grade 12. I didn’t believe in myself, but these teachers seemed to believe in me. They were so inspirational; they gave me dreams. They told me, ‘You could be a writer, you could be a lawyer, you could be an accountant.’”
Fred first pursued a Certified General Accountant program. When she decided the CGA was the wrong career, she continued the accounting component and shifted to a Business Diploma program, which allowed her to find work in her own community.
“I have discovered, when I believe in myself, anything is possible,” Fred said. “When you don’t have self-confidence, ride on others – it’s okay.
“There’s a difference between succeeding and surviving in life, and there is nothing wrong with accepting help while you are taking steps toward something else. If you put the effort in, if you keep trying, you can achieve amazing things.”
Luke George began his career in the Canadian Armed Forces, and is now the Aboriginal Education Advisor at the Port Alberni campus of North Island College.
“I’m the guy who is usually the first point of contact, not just for aboriginal students, but for any students who come through the doors for the first time,” George said. “I know what it’s like to go back to school, so I try to put people at ease.”
George confirmed one recurring theme at the fair: aboriginal students are often more motivated than their non-aboriginal friends to bring their skills back to their home communities. So for small communities like Port Alberni struggling to attract young people to take up skilled positions and raise families, it is well worth going the extra mile to educate and train local First Nations youth.
Sheila White, a member of Snuneymuxw First Nation, serves as Aboriginal Employment Advisor (Central Island) for Island Health. The health authority offers a wide range of career opportunities, not just in direct health care, but also in the administrative and support areas.
“I just printed off 28 postings for jobs in Port Alberni yesterday (Dec. 17),” White said.
The health authority has three regional Aboriginal Employment Advisors plus one Job Coach based in Victoria.
“[The job coach] helps with resume writing, cover letters and [job] applications. We have been delivering the workshops in high schools, but now we also go out into the communities.”
With our aging population creating both a growing client base and a shrinking workforce, the career opportunities in health care are almost limitless.
“Aboriginal youth is the fastest growing population, and what better than to have our own people taking care of our own people.”
Island Health isn’t just looking for future doctors and nurses, White said. There are also entry-level positions that must be filled now.
“We have 900 different positions – basically everything you need to run a business – maintenance, clerical, electricians – outside direct health care.”
There’s also a wide diversity of careers in the RCMP, according to Const. Dan Engel of the Port Alberni Aboriginal Policing Section.
“It’s not for everybody, but there is a lot of diversity in the RCMP,” he explained. “Computers, forensic science, dog tracking – there’s lots besides general patrol duty.”
Engel said the RCMP is committed to increasing the number of aboriginal members, and now runs an Aboriginal Pre-Cadet training program. Pre-cadets attend a three-week training session, then work alongside regular RCMP officers for eight weeks.
But there’s one wrinkle, Engel added.
“The RCMP still has a policy that you’re not likely to go back to your home town,” he said. “B.C. gets about half the recruits from the Academy, however, so you do have a good chance of coming back.”
Not everyone is looking for a job; many young people plan to go into business for themselves. And that is where NEDC comes in, according to Jennifer Gallic. The agency provides business finance and support, as well as training workshops.
“We just finished an Aboriginal Best program, and now we are looking at setting up workshops in bookkeeping, marketing and business planning for the New Year,” Gallic said.
For business as traditional as harvesting fish, NEDC offers training in managing cash flow, and for young entrepreneurs with a technology focus, has offered workshops on using social media as a business tool.
And it isn’t all about fishing at Uu-a-thluk, the NTC Fisheries arm, according to Capacity Building Coordinator Michelle Colyn.
“We have internships and mentorships for people coming out of high school who are interested in marine-based careers,” Colyn said.
There are any number of career paths open, from harvester to marine biologist, administration and legal, with rights-based resource allocation now a reality, she added.
Colyn pointed out that she herself studied sociology and media in university, and still found a job in fisheries, while colleague Dawn Foxcroft studied communications.
“So there’s opportunities not just for biologists, but all sorts of people,” Foxcroft said. “And because [First] Nations are looking for their own people, there will be increased opportunities for Nuu-chah-nulth people to get into this sort of work.”
