Canada offers civil service opportunities to indigenous students
The Canadian government has launched a drive to attract more young civil servants from indigenous groups.
This week, Scott Brison, president of Canada’s Treasury Board, announced a scheme to provide post-secondary work experience in the National Capital Region (NCR), which covers Ottawa and Gatineau.
The programme will offer on-the-job learning, professional development and networking plus cultural events and mentoring.
Brison said: “The government of Canada must draw from indigenous peoples’ valuable experiences, talents and the enormous potential of their youth to develop programs and deliver services that benefit all Canadians.
“We are committed to ensuring that Indigenous Canadians play a key role in the public service of the future because everyone benefits when the Government adopts innovative ideas and fresh perspectives.”
The adoption of the programme, which was piloted last summer, comes after prime minister Justin Trudeau acknowledged in December that the relationship between the federal government and the indigenous population needed to be rebuilt.
He said: “The challenges we are facing will take not just years, but decades in many cases to fully reverse, fully establish the right kind of relationship moving forward.”
The 2017 programme will be open to a minimum of 60 students from across Canada, offering up to 14 weeks of work opportunities in federal departments and agencies.
Financial support for travel and accommodation may be made available to students residing outside the NCR.
In 2015, the Australian government announced a target to increase the representation of indigenous employees across the public sector to 3% by 2018, and increase representation in senior leadership roles.
It already runs the Indigenous Australian Government Development Program (IAGDP), an entry-level employment and development program of 15 month duration open to Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.
The Canadian military this week also announced the appointment of the first indigenous adviser to its Chaplain General.
The new adviser will offer training to chaplains and will write a policy for chaplains that reflects the needs of Indigenous soldiers.
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See also:
Simon Kennedy, Deputy Minister, Health Canada: Exclusive Interview
Scott Brison expands on Canada’s plan to adopt ‘results and delivery approach’
About Colin Marrs
Colin is a journalist and editor with long experience in the government and built environment sectors. He cut his teeth in local newspaper journalism before moving to Inside Housing in 1999. He has worked in a variety of roles for built environment titles including Planning, Regeneration & Renewal and Property Week. After a spell at advertising industry bible Campaign magazine, he became a freelancer in 2010. Since then he has edited PublicTechnology.net, local government finance publication Room151.co.uk and contributed news and features to Civil Service World, Architects’ Journal, Social Housing, management titles and written white papers for major corporate and public sector clients.
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