Post-Secondary Education, Employment and Training

DRFN’s Post-Secondary Education, Employment and Training department is formally housed within our Health and Social Development Department.

Mission

Our mission is to help community members find and keep a job or career through skills training, employment supports and post-secondary education.

Core Community Services

DRFN provides support to members who wish to attend post-secondary school or skills training to help them build a career and find long term employment. This department administers the federal post-secondary student support program, youth employment and career programs, and the Indigenous Skills Employment Training Program. Services are customized to meet the community and individual needs.

Indigenous Skills Employment and Training Program

Recently, DRFN assumed jurisdiction of employment and training program delivery from Service Canada through the Indigenous Skills Employment and Training Program agreement. The ISET Program provides funding to Indigenous service delivery organizations that design and deliver job training services to First Nations, Inuit, Métis and urban/non-affiliated Indigenous people in their communities.

DRFN can support unemployed band members in finding and keeping a job through a variety of programs and services that include:

Employment Assistance Services
Skills Training
Job Placement
Targeted Wage Subsidies, and
Self-Employment Assistance

These programs are funded by the government of Canada and support those who are currently unemployed. Priority individuals for this funding are:

Youth
Persons with a disability
Persons in receipt of Employment Insurance (EI) or
Persons who have been on EI in the last three years
Persons on a parental or maternity EI claim in the last five years

DRFN’s programs and services include:

Employment related and career development assistance and outreach to members, including youth and people with disabilities (for example, client assessment, case management, job search, job retention assistance, summer jobs, work experience, and other supports)
Wrap around services – providing social supports that can include: dependent care costs, childcare, living expenses, transportation, counselling and other supports needed to ensure success with skills development, training and employment
Financial assistance to individuals to help them obtain a range of skills for employment
Financial assistance to help individuals in skills laddering and career growth
Supporting projects to help individuals create jobs for themselves by starting a business (including mentorship, coaching and/or support in advancing an action plan)
Supporting projects that provide individuals with opportunities through which they can gain work experience, which will lead to ongoing employment
Early interventions with youth by offering career exploration, mentorship as well as services complementary to the K 12 education system to increase graduation rates of DRFN students

Members can access this funding and programs by meeting with our Employment and Training Coordinator, Amanda Gauthier.