Community Futures Treaty Seven is receiving more than $3.2 million from the federal government to help 165 First Nations youth build job skills and launch careers. The funding comes through Employment and Social Development Canada’s Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS) program and will support the organization’s Regional Skills Link Project across Treaty 7 territory in Alberta.
The Honourable Mandy Gull-Masty, Minister of Indigenous Services, announced the investment on behalf of Patty Hajdu, Minister of Jobs and Families, in Calgary on Aug. 11.
“With Community Futures Treaty Seven, we are helping First Nations youth gain the skills experience and opportunities they need to pursue meaningful careers while staying connected to their communities,” said Hajdu, minister of jobs and families and minister responsible for the Federal Economic Development Agency for Northern Ontario. “These investments are opening doors, strengthening local economies and supporting long-term prosperity for generations to come.”
The project is meant to give young people the skills, work experience and confidence to find lasting careers while staying connected to their home communities, according to the government.
“Organizations like Community Futures Treaty Seven play an important role in supporting First Nations youth to build the skills, experience and confidence they need to pursue meaningful career opportunities,” said Gull-Masty, minister of Indigenous services. “This investment will expand on Community Futures Treaty Seven’s successful programs and services to ensure even more young people have the tools they need to connect with new opportunities.”
Community Futures Treaty Seven has delivered YESS programming since 2016. The organization said the funding has supported an average of 30 employment opportunities for Treaty 7 youth each year since the partnership began.
“Community Futures Treaty Seven has partnered with Employment and Social Development Canada since 2016 to deliver the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS), providing Treaty 7 youth with essential employability skills, career development opportunities, and valuable work experience,” the organization said. “Since its inception, YESS funding has supported the creation of an annual average of 30 employment opportunities for Treaty 7 youth, helping young people build the skills, confidence, and experience needed to successfully contribute to Canada’s workforce.”
The YESS program offers services including mentorship, coaching, training, paid work placements and wraparound supports such as help with dependent care costs, according to the government. Ottawa is putting more than $632 million into the program between 2024 and 2028, with a goal of helping at least 20,000 young people overcome barriers to employment and find lasting jobs.
A government evaluation of the program found that 76 per cent of participants who received skills training and employment supports were still employed a year later. Two years after finishing the program, participants saw their wages rise by an average of $9,400 compared with what they earned before taking part, according to the evaluation.
Community Futures Treaty Seven also receives separate federal funding, worth more than $89 million between 2019 and 2029, under the Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Program. That funding lets the organization design and run workforce development strategies suited to its member communities. Services include career development help, skills training, coaching, mentorship and disability-related supports.
Since 2019, more than 7,500 First Nations participants have used Community Futures Treaty Seven’s services. Of those, over 3,500 have found jobs and more than 2,800 have returned to school, according to the government.
