Skills

“Economic development generates employment opportunities and leads to improved education and skills acquisition. It is an important tool in alleviating poverty and other social conditions that lead to ill health.”

“Our report presents the findings from the interaction of symposium participants that included owners and managers of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and stakeholders from government, academia and the learning and training communities. The report includes their recommendations for encouraging increased skills development in SMEs, makes policy recommendations for all stakeholders and highlights best practices in alleviating skills pressures.”

"In October of 2008, the National Network for Urban Aboriginal Economic Development held a National Gathering to identify the next steps in the development of the Network. One critical issue identified in those discussions was the need to ensure a dedicated focus on Aboriginal women in urban areas. The participants recognized that Aboriginal women face particular barriers in becoming active members of the workforce, and in starting up and sustaining business enterprises. Members of the Network identified two key points.

"As the Information Age transforms Canadian society, Aboriginal Canadians can not risk being left behind. According to this report, information and communications technologies (ICT) "offer critical opportunities to strengthen Aboriginal cultural identities, promote sustainable community development and achieve greater self-reliance." These national recommendations reveal a critical opportunity for Canada's First Nations, Métis and Inuit peoples to leapfrog into the Information Age."

"Aboriginal Digital Opportunities, explores how Web-based distance education, e-mail and self-directed learning software can promote the development of skills, create economic development opportunities, and enable Aboriginal peoples to participate in the knowledge economy.

"I suggest that geographical isolation segregates individuals and communities from linking and bridging networks; reliance on bonding networks in such locales often results in limited access to financial and human resources. In places where networks extend beyond the community, larger pools of resources are accessed. The dissertation highlights, however, the potential detrimental role that such external networks can play in the family lives of marginal communities.

"Like immigrants, aboriginal populations' economic success may be enhanced by the acquisition of skills and traits appropriate to the "majority" culture in which they reside. Using 1991 Canadian Census data, we show that Aboriginal labour market success is greater for Aboriginals whose ancestors intermarried with non-Aboriginals, for those who live off Indian reserves, and for those who live outside the Yukon and Northwest Territories.

"The purpose of the study was to describe ways that successful culture-based Aboriginal preventive family service agencies offer employment and education opportunities for staff. Staff in three inner-city, culture-based Aboriginal family agencies were asked about their employment and educational opportunities. Forty-four individuals were asked the question: ‘what employment and education opportunities have you had while in this job?’ A total of 81 unique responses were received.