Participants Indigenous Peoples, Youth

Core skills and rapid response

Indigenous youth will benefit from this pilot project of the Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology (MITT), which aims to develop a rapid customization and core skills training process in response to critical labour shortages during COVID-19. Indigenous youth experienced even higher unemployment during the pandemic. Priority sectors in Manitoba are service, construction, health care and manufacturing.

The project combines vital success components into a systemic response: core skills training, competency-based micro-credentials, wraparound supports, rapid response to labour market change and customized curricula. The core skills emphasized to youth in this program are professionalism, adaptability, initiative, problem solving, communication, and collaboration. These skills are in high demand among employers, represent a cultural shift for Indigenous youth, and are transferable between jobs and sectors. Core skills training can be credentialed and can provide quality assurance for all.

Image of a gentleman using a sanding machine.

This project focuses on future shock-proofing by developing a workforce with transferable skills that can shift as job demands fluctuate; providing employers with core skills and the workforce they need; and an institution that can shift rapidly while providing rigour in training offerings.

Future Skills Centre is investing $146,530 in this two-year project.

Evaluation Strategy

This project is evaluated using tools and approaches aligned with its goals, context, and stage of development. The evaluation focuses on generating the right evidence at the right moment to move the intervention forward. Read more about our evaluation strategy.