Indigenous Employability Skills Certificate
New Brunswick, over the next 10 years, will be facing a labour shortage. New Brunswick’s Indigenous Population is the fastest growing population entering the workforce, but has almost double the unemployment rate nationally of non-indigenous people. The occupations with the largest gaps between non indigenous and indigenous workers are jobs requiring a University Education. One of the most common reasons for indigenous students leaving university was a lack of understanding how their degrees can be used to find meaningful employment. One of the primary goals of the Indigenous Employment Advisor is to assist students in making that connection between post-secondary education and career as early on into their university career as possible. The Indigenous Employability Certificate will be offered at UNB through a partnership between The Career Development and Employment Centre, Mi’kmaq-Wolastoqey Centre, and UNBSJ Student Services.
The goal of the Indigenous Employability Certificate, is for all Indigenous Students at UNB to leave campus self-sufficient in Career Decision Making, Job Search, and Employment Maintenance. The workshops in this certificate will be designed to meet this criteria and give students the 8 core competencies that are considered essential to employers and ensuring that the delivery of these workshops meet the markers of best practice for working with Indigenous Learners as laid out by FIMSEP. The Core Competencies for Employment Readiness that will be gained through participation in this program is Career Management, Leadership, Oral and Written Communication, Digital Technology, Critical Thinking, Professionalism/Work Ethic, Team Work/Collaboration, and Intercultural/Global Fluency. To Allow for Flexibility and Inclusion of all indigenous learners at UNB, the certificate will be given upon completion of all of the workshops which will run on an ongoing basis so that participation in the workshops and timeline for completion are in control of our Indigenous Learners.
Meaghan McIntyre, University of New Brunswick
(506)260-5820
Meaghan.McIntyre@unb.ca
P.O Box 4400, Fre3dericton, NB, Canada E3B 5A3
Incorporation of Essential Skills
Career Decision Making:
Career Planning: Thinking Skills, Oral Communication
Job Search:
Interview Skills: Oral Communication, thinking skills, working with others
Resume and Cover Letter: Oral Communication, thinking skills, working with others, computer use
Networking and Social Media: Oral Communication, Thinking Skills, Computer Use
Employment Maintenance:
Personalities in the Workplace: Working with Others
Occupational Wellness: Working with others, Thinking Skills, Continuous Learning
Workplace Etiquette: Working with others, Thinking Skills, Continuous Learning
Through student evaluations and student reflections on the information presented to them. The number of students that complete the certificate program, the number of students retained the following year, and the number who successfully find employment.
Project Components
The program, is still in the development stage, the name of the program will be changed to a name from one of the traditional languages of the Wabanaki people. We will also be incorporating culturally specific work with our Indigenous Wellness Coordinator at UNB into the Occupational Wellness Workshop.
The most important attributes for staff are that they are Indigenous or have significant experience working in the employment industry with indigenous learners, have a BA or MA, are certified career development professionals and can speak or are willing to learn to speak a Wabanaki language.
Career Development and Employment Centre: Provides Career and Labour Market information, counselling, and knowledge of best practice for Career Development.
Mi’kmaq-Wolastoqey Centre: Student Referral, Cultural Support, providing traditional language translations, and staff support.
University of New Brunswick Saint John: Providing space for the Indigenous Career and Employment Advisor to work and meet with their students and be able to deliver this program on their campus as well as UNB’s main campus in Fredericton.
PETL: Provincial Education, Training and Labour department provided the funding for the project and for the University to be able to hire an Indigenous Career and Employment Advisor to work with our Indigenous Students.