A walk in the park leads to employment

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Nina Goodman is the co-ordinator for these programs at Bow Valley, both of which are recent additions to the Aboriginal upgrading and pre-employment program that has been running at the college for 13 years.

The pre-trades program just had its first student intake in September, and is a continuous intake program, which means each month brings the opportunity to begin for new students.

"The government, human resources, and the Aboriginal community felt that there should be a pre-trade program set up for their clients, since obviously the trades are a very buoyant area at the moment in Alberta," said Goodman. "And they wanted to make sure that their clients, the Aboriginal clients that were coming through, were not just getting employment within the trades, but were actually getting an opportunity to really get the apprenticeship and to get really well qualified so that the opportunity could move forward from those entry level jobs that were available to them."

Many students are referred by the Helping Circle through the Metis Nation, or Aboriginal Futures though Treaty 7. It is a 10-month program at the end of which the students must enter an apprenticeship.

"So it's our responsibility to get those folk into a suitable apprenticeship. Also, to get them through their apprenticeship exams, their initial one," Goodman said.

Students are assessed for their math and academic ability, and if need be, offered help in these areas. During the course of the program, they will also do three or four job shadows in trades that they've researched. For example, framing, tile setting, electrical or carpentry.

"What will happen is, from these choices that they select and they've researched, they'll find the one that will best suit their niche, that suits their lifestyle, that suits their health, their ability, their interest level."

The next step will be a work placement in that trade for one month for work experience and with the hope that the employer will take the student on as an apprentice.

The Bow Valley program operates under the assumption that for some people it is easier to get a job than it is to keep it. So the program has built-in components that will equip students with knowledge on how to keep the job.

"That means, not just having good time management and things like that, to be able to be aware of showing up, appropriate language and code of conduct and things. It also means that you have to be perceptive enough and look ahead to the direction your industry is moving. How to stay on top of things."

These lessons, as well as cultural teachings that help students balance their lives day-to-day, and that they can lean on if ever in crisis, are offered in the program to produce well-prepared apprenticeship candidates.

The Aboriginal Adventure Tourism Integrated Program offers a variety of business-related lessons, including accounting, business English, and proposal writing. The program also looks at the tourism industry as a whole in Alberta, and in particular cultural or heritage pursuits in the province.

Two-thirds of a student's time is spent in the classroom and the other time is spent in the field, hiking, snow-shoeing, ice climbing, kayaking or fishing.

"Rather than just going for a hike, just keeping fit so-to-speak, we're looking at that being led from the point of view if they were the leader. So beforehand they would have had to research the site, the whole hike, to see what kinds of things they would be wanting to point out," said Goodman.

"What particularly of interest to people, if you were leading them, would they want to know about, that the First Nations would have pointed out or been looking for? For example, we deal with the plants along the pathway. How they might have been used and what they were used for. Why they are still used and where things can be found."

Berry gathering sites, buffalo jumps, paintings on walls would all be of interest to tourists taking a trek like this with a qulified guide.

The adventure tourism program has been operating for a year and a bit. Eight students have finished the program, and some have gone on to start their own businesses. Others are looking to be employed in interpretive centres, museums or cultural centres.

"The people starting out wanting to get hired by someone who is already operating, they need to have some credentials. This is a certificate program and so you do have to meet the certificate requirements, take all the courses and things, and that also means if you are wanting to get hired to get some more experience before you set up your own business so you are more likely to be successful when you've actually seen things operating and worked in it for awhile, that seems to let people know then that those credentials are solid."

The program is supported through the student finance board with grants available.

For information on these courses, contact Bow Valley College at (403) 273-1873.