Fleming College, along with project partners MDB Insight and Vicinity Jobs, hosted the inaugural forum Reconciling Labour Market Information on November 24 to share, discuss and acknowledge the need for Indigenous Labour Market Information (LMI) in Canada.
Over 100 participants attended the event, including researchers, academics and Indigenous community members. The project team was excited to gather and present feedback on a first-of-its-kind Indigenous labour market information system that tracks and documents Indigenous job postings across Canada. Initial reaction to the LMI system included commentary on its usefulness, relevance and key opportunities for growth.
"I'm proud of the Fleming team that includes Indigenous and non-Indigenous researchers for successfully hosting the first-ever Indigenous Labour Market Information Forum," said Maureen Adamson, President, Fleming College. "The important outcomes from this event and the ongoing project will enhance access to job-related information for Indigenous workers, leading to increased participation in the labour market."
President Adamson welcomed the participants and highlighted Fleming's accomplishments to date, including:
- Signing the Colleges and Institutes Canada's (CICan) Indigenous Education Protocol
- Developing a policy on Honouring the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
- Creating an Indigenous Education Council
- Offering Indigenous Perspectives Designation for many programs
Fleming would like to thank everyone in attendance and supporters for their guidance to advance our goal of promoting Indigenous LMI. A special thanks to Anne Taylor from Curve Lake First Nation and Fleming alumni Ryerson Whetung for their warm welcome and introductions, and to each of the panelists for sharing their unique perspectives on the state of Indigenous labour market across Canada:
- Tony Bonen, Director of Research, Data and Analytics; Labour Market Information Council
- JP Giroux, President, Excellence in Manufacturing (EMC)
- Kerry Smith, Sr. Director; Metis Employment & Training, Manitoba Metis Federation Inc
- Paul Gruner, President and CEO Det'on Cho Corporation
- Elizabeth Stone, Academic Chair, Indigenous Studies, Fleming College
Fleming will continue to share more details about this exciting project. For upcoming events and discussions, or opportunities for a demonstration, please contact Jason Dennison at Jason.Dennison@flemingcollege.ca.
Fleming's Indigenous Labour Market Information project is funded by the Government of Canada's Future Skills Centre.
