1000 Aboriginal hires for BC resource sector
Media Release –
1000 Aboriginal hires for BC resource sector
Ryan McDougall, Lower Nicola Indian Band
As the Aboriginal Mentoring & Training Association (AMTA) celebrates 1000 Aboriginal hires, it is proving to be a valuable partner to both Industry and First Nations. With more than 350 resource sector companies in its employment network, AMTA candidates are getting jobs at the rate of approximately 30 hires per month.
When Atlas Drilling, of Kamloops, BC, recently hired 8 candidates through AMTA, they facilitated the 1000th AMTA hire. Jamie Lyons, Atlas co-owner, is pleased with AMTA’s service and process. In a labour market where candidates are hard to come by, he says “employment agencies just send guys that are looking for work without fitting the job but AMTA has connected us to well-trained candidates.”
On establishing relationships with First Nations, Lyons explains the challenges that AMTA helped him overcome. “It’s been hard to source Aboriginal employees in the past. We have tried to hire from the local bands on different job sites but never really knew who to talk to. AMTA has become the go-to organization and they’ve also connected us to First Nations leadership which is helpful for developing future projects.”
According to Lyons, drilling work is contract-based but a good stepping-stone for candidates entering resource sector employment. His employees, like Ryan McDougall, will work on a contract basis for Atlas and are able to continue skills upgrading through AMTA when there is an industry slow-down. Prior to being hired, Ryan completed Pathways to Success, AMTA’s award-winning skills upgrading program, where he achieved job readiness training in a culturally sensitive environment.
“AMTA has helped me by giving me a step up on the competition that I, otherwise, would not have been able to get. Their training, like the fundamentals of career planning, gives you that edge,” says McDougall on the advantages of being an AMTA candidate.
AMTA facilitates the development of long-term, local Aboriginal – Industry relationships through its commitment to connecting employers with labour needs to First Nation communities engaged in resource development.
“We are so pleased to have become recognized as a critical element in creating mutual benefits for our AMTA candidates, First Nation communities and companies,” says AMTA’s CEO, Laurie Sterritt. “We couldn’t achieve these successes without the commitment of the federal government’s Skills Partnership Fund and industry members. Together, we are fulfilling AMTA’s mission to empower First Nations to create economic health for themselves and their communities through skills training, education and career opportunities.”
