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VANCOUVER – A partnership signed today by the Province, the City of Vancouver and aboriginal organizations will help increase job opportunities for aboriginal people with the city.
Through the Aboriginal Employment Partnership Initiative (AEPI) the City of Vancouver will identify future job opportunities, and share the information with aboriginal organizations so they can better match training programs to a wide range of upcoming civic service jobs. The City of Vancouver currently employs more than 8,000 people.
“With approximately 70 per cent of B.C.’s aboriginal population living in metropolitan areas of the province, aboriginal people in the Vancouver area can look to enhanced employment potential through the City’s involvement in this program,” said Murray Coell, Minister of Community, Aboriginal and Women’s Services. “B.C. leads the country in employment growth. We want to build on ways to meet the long-term needs of employers by increasing the aboriginal community’s potential to benefit from opportunities for real jobs and sustainable employment.”
The AEPI is designed to better match and co-ordinate job training and skills programs with areas of greatest job opportunity in B.C. The provincial government has provided $900,000 over three years through the Economic Measures Fund to implement AEPI.
In signing an AEPI agreement, the city becomes the 12th partner and the third B.C. community to join the initiative. Other partners include Thrifty Foods, the Independent Contractors and Businesses Association, B.C. Construction Association, Vancouver Police Department, Duke Energy Gas Transmission West, RBC Royal Bank, London Drugs, the Vancouver Island Health Authority, Royal Roads University, and the cities of Fort St. John and Dawson Creek.
“The City of Vancouver is proud to be a signatory to this agreement,” said Mayor Larry Campbell. “The city is a major employer in British Columbia, and home to many urban aboriginals. Our participation in this initiative – sharing information about our job opportunities, requirements, and anticipated needs – will help ensure that aboriginals interested in public service will have a better chance at joining our work force in the future. ”
“We are looking to create partnerships with industry, business and governments that provide aboriginal clients with sustainable jobs and educational opportunities over the long-term,” said John Webster, executive director, Aboriginal Community Career and Employment Services Society.
The program is administered and delivered by the Métis Provincial Council of B.C. in partnership with the provincial government, and benefits all aboriginal people including those living on and off-reserve and in urban areas.
“We, the Métis Provincial Council and staff are proud to be working in partnership with an employer that prides itself in being a leader, and who recognizes that the history and culture of Aboriginal peoples in Vancouver has greatly enriched the city,” said Bruce Dumont, interim president of the Métis Provincial Council of B.C.
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