Aboriginal Youth ICT Challenge June 19, 2009
The main reasons for the underrepresentation of Aboriginal people in the ICT industry is lack of awareness and exposure of the ICT industry in urban and remote communities. This includes lack of knowledge about ICT opportunities and lack of access to proper developmental and educational paths. To address this, the Aboriginal Liaison Officer (ALO) has begun three new programs under the workforce development strategy.
The Aboriginal Initiative has completed the Feasibility Study on a Pre-Employment Training Program and this trailblazing diploma program has commenced at the University of Winnipeg. The Aboriginal ICT Diploma Program is a 52-week, fully-funded program and the first of its kind in Canada. 16 students are enrolled in the program and will learn many valuable skills, both technical and non-technical. Not only will students graduate with qualifications for up to 7 entry-level ICT careers after learning Networking, Programming and Web Development, they will have learned Core Management and Employability Skills as well. Here are the incredible benefits this program offers:
• A University Diploma
• 2 Industry Certifications
• Qualifications for up to 7 entry-level ICT jobs
• Up to 1 year’s worth of University Degree credits
• A free laptop
The Steering Committee for this Study is as follows:
• Sandy Adelman, MTS Allstream Inc.
• Irene Mikawoz, NSERC
• Donna Vincent, Sapphire
• Roberta Everson, TLG
• Mark Snow, IBM
• Christian Dandeneau, IDFusion Software
• Miles McPherson, EDS, an HP company
The Aboriginal ICT Diploma is made possible by our partners:
• The Government of Canada and the Manitoba Government – Funders
• The University of Winnipeg – Training Partner
• Industry – Steering Committee
• EDS, an HP Company – Capital Equipment Sponsor
The Aboriginal Youth ICT Challenge piloted during the second half of the 2008/2009 school year and is now entering its second year. This program is aimed specifically at Aboriginal students from high schools (S1-S4) in urban and remote communities. The pilot ran in RB Russell Vocational School in Winnipeg and Joe A. Ross School in Opaskwayak Cree Nation (OCN). Students participated in 10 comprehensive workshops, learning how to create a website and a flash-based arcade game. But that’s not all. They also learned the ins-and-outs of the business world; how they’d pitch and spec their products, project manage the development of them, and ultimately bring them to market.
At the completion of the pilot, the first ever Aboriginal Technology Fair took place on June 19th, 2009 at the Sun Centre with over 100 guests. Here the 16 graduating students had the opportunity to present their projects to industry and post-secondary representatives, as well as fellow classmates, parents and teachers. Graduating students kept their laptops!
This year, the Aboriginal Youth ICT Challenge is currently running at Children of the Earth High School with the Paul Martin Aboriginal Initiative. The workshops are being delivered by our new training partner, the University of Winnipeg. We are expecting to run the program at 2 other schools during the 2009/2010 school year.
Current partners for the Aboriginal Youth ICT Challenge include:
EDS, an HP company (Title Sponsor)
The Manitoba Government:
• Department of Aboriginal Northern Affairs (Gold Sponsor)
• Department of Education, Citizenship and Youth (Gold Sponsor)
• Department of Culture, Heritage, Tourism and Sport (Silver Sponsor)
Industry:
• MTS Allstream Inc. (Silver Sponsor)
• Destination Winnipeg (Contributor)
The Workforce Development Strategy as a whole is sponsored by EDS, an HP Company, whose total investment in the Aboriginal Initiative amounts to $75,000 over the 2009-2010 fiscal year.
A portion of this investment has enabled the ALO start a bursary fund aimed specifically at aiding in the non-tuition related expenses for Aboriginal students entering into, or enrolled in, ICT-related post-secondary studies. This bursary fund will be delivered through the Helen Betty Osborne Memorial Foundation.
An Advisory Group has been established to support and offer advice to the ALO as the implementation process continues. The Advisory Group members are:
• Roberta Everson, TLG
• Diane Carriere, Aboriginal Human Resource Council
• Tim Grouette, Manitoba Government
• Norma Spence, Manitoba Government
• Jason Whitford, AMC
• Edward Suzuki, Destination Winnipeg
• Cheryl Lavallee, Manitoba Government
• EJ Fontaine, AMIK.ca
Through the Aboriginal Initiative, ICTAM will promote, educate and create awareness of opportunities for Aboriginal communities through career and job fairs, advertising, education seminars and workshops. We will work with the Aboriginal and corporate community to create partnerships and identify education, training and employment opportunities.
If you would like to participate in the Aboriginal Initiative or would like to know more about it, contact:
David Robertson, Aboriginal Liaison Officer
947-9354
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