Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership (ASEP)

The Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership (ASEP) initiative is helping to shape Canada's workforce by providing Aboriginal people with the skills development and work experience they need to participate in large-scale industrial sectors including forestry, mining, oil and gas, construction and hydro electric development.

A highly skilled Aboriginal workforce is key to Canada's economic prosperity. The choice of training opportunities and career possibilities has never been greater for Aboriginal young people. Job prospects for sustainable employment are opening up close to their home communities, especially in Canada's more remote and northern locations.

Officially launched in 2003 as an $85-million five-year labour market initiative, ASEP is designed to maximize training and job opportunities in major economic development projects across Canada. It does this by meeting employers' needs and labour market demands for skilled workers.

ASEP's ultimate success is contingent on the strong partnerships forged between Aboriginal groups, the private sector, federal, provincial and/or territorial governments, labour, and educational institutions.

What is the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership (ASEP) program?

ASEP is a five-year initiative with total funding of $85 million. It is designed to develop the skills of Canada's Aboriginal workforce, to promote maximum employment for Aboriginal people on major economic developments across Canada, and to provide lasting benefits for Aboriginal communities, families and individuals. The entire initiative is geared to providing Aboriginal people with the skills they need to participate in economic opportunities such as northern mining, oil and gas, and hydro development projects across Canada.

How ASEP Projects Are Selected?

To be considered for funding under ASEP, project proposals are required to clearly demonstrate a solid partnership arrangement and set out a comprehensive, multi-year training-to-employment plan.

Each partnership must demonstrate that it can share the cost of implementing the proposal with significant investment funding from the private sector/major employer, the provincial or territorial government and the Aboriginal groups involved.

The training-to-employment plan covers a broad continuum ranging from basic skills, literacy, academic upgrading, job-specific training and apprenticeships, to retention counselling and other supports while on the job. As part of the training-to-employment plan, the major employer must guarantee a minimum of 50 long-term jobs for Aboriginal people by the completion of the project.

ASEP and the Aboriginal Human Resources Development Strategy (AHRDS)

ASEP and the AHRDS complement each other; increasing Aboriginal labour market participation is a shared goal. In place since 1999, and renewed until 2009, the ARHDS relies on Agreement holders to design, develop and deliver $1.6 billion worth of labour market programs and services custom tailored to meet community-specific needs. Agreement holders under the Strategy are often instrumental in forming part of the Aboriginal component of an ASEP project's partnership consortium.

ASEP PROJECTS

To date, nine ASEP projects have received multi-year funding ranging from $2.8 to $22 million. These projects will result in over 5,000 Aboriginal people being trained for over 3,000 long-term, sustainable jobs.

*ASEP Projects Currently Underway and Primary Sector*
Manitoba Hydro Northern Training and Employment Initiative	Construction
New Brunswick Forestry: People, Land and Opportunities Project	Forestry
A Long Term Training Initiative for Nunavut's Fishing Industry	Fisheries
Northwest Territories Industrial Mining Skills Strategy	Mining
Northwest Territories Oil and Gas Aboriginal Skills Employment Partnership Skills Development Strategy	Oil and Gas
Trade Winds to Success Project	Skilled Trades / Construction
2010 Vancouver ASEP Construction Careers Project	Construction
Aboriginal Mine Works	Oil Sands
James Bay Employment and Training	Mining

For updates on ASEP projects, visit www.rhdcc.gc.ca or send us an email at: Autochtone-Aboriginal@servicecanada.gc.ca.

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Last Updated: 2006-8-17	Top of Page	Important Notices

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