North East Aboriginal Skills & Employment Program

The Northeast Aboriginal Skills and Employment Program is an exciting opportunity for industry leaders who are committed to building a sustainable economy by supporting the human resource development of the Aboriginal people of Northeast British Columbia. 
The Aboriginal Skills and Employment Program (ASEP) initiative is a five-year, federally sponsored program designed to:

  • Develop the skills of Canada's Aboriginal workforce; build a strong, capable and sustained workforce for Canada’s industry; create and promote maximum employment for Aboriginal people on major economic developments across Canada; provide lasting benefits for Aboriginal communities, families and individuals.
     
  • ASEP’s primary objective is to create a trained Aboriginal workforce that can effectively meet employment opportunities related to the emerging economy.  ASEP is helping to shape Canada's workforce by providing Aboriginal people with the skills' development and work experience they need to participate in large-scale industrial sectors, including forestry, mining, oil and gas, construction and hydro electric development.

NEASEP Overview Video

Program Benefits
The ASEP is a multi-year Aboriginal employee skills' development plan that ensures a sustainable employee base for Industry Partners within the labour market catchment area. The training-to-employment plan covers a broad continuum, including essential skills, literacy, academic upgrading, job-specific training and apprenticeships, counseling and other activities to increase job skills, satisfaction and retention. As part of the training-to-employment plan, the major employer must guarantee a minimum number of long-term jobs for Aboriginal people by the completion of the project. 
 
Program Objectives
This “Partnership Focused” Approach is intended to:

  • Be workable for all partners, especially for the Aboriginal people within the labour market catchment area;
  • Primarily support the lead employer company and other employers as appropriate in the long-term hiring of Aboriginal people;
  • Lead to sustainable jobs with the lead employer and with other employers providing services;
  • Involve provincially accredited transferable skills;
  • Include linkages to other involved parties (e.g. Labour Market Development Agreement);
  • Provide role models within Aboriginal communities that lead to healthier and more resilient individuals and communities.