Advertisement

Federal gov't investing $300K in Dene job creation pilot project

The federal government announced $300,000 in funding for the Yellowknives Dene First Nation for a pilot project meant to increase capacity and job creation today in Yellowknife.

The money will be given to the Det'on Cho Corporation, the economic development arm of the YKDFN.

Marc Miller, the parliamentary secretary to the federal minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, made the announcement on Tuesday afternoon at Det'on Cho headquarters in N'dilo.

"We're building capacity within the corporation for future leaders of the organization," said Paul Gruner, president and CEO of Det'on Cho.

Gabriela Panza-Beltrandi/CBC
Gabriela Panza-Beltrandi/CBC

The YKDFN is also investing $771,000 into the program, and another $75,000 a year will come from industry partners. bringing total funding for the project to almost $1.3 million.

Gruner says Det'on Cho would not have been able to create these positions without this money.

"It really enables us to build within that capacity and invest within the corporation, invest within the community," he said.

The money will be used to develop the skills of five community members by "placing them in strategic roles within the company's management structure," according to a news release, with the aim of progressing them to leadership roles.

The jobs are in a range of areas, including human resources, finance and business development, according to Gruner.

The funding will also be used to remove barriers to employment for YKDFN members, which will be addressed through initiatives such as technical skills training and apprenticeship programs.

Gruner said training will also be tailored specifically for the new hires where it's possible.

"If somebody has an interest specifically, we'll try to throw them onto files that they'll find interesting, that they can dig into and build new skills," explained Gruner.

"This pilot program is a positive step towards increasing employment rates and leveraging new opportunities in Indigenous communities," said Miller in the press release.