Nunavut

EntrepreNorth, which has been offering a cohort-based entrepreneurial growth program for Northern and Indigenous entrepreneurs, launched a project to develop an app to support their learners and alumni in building businesses, raising capital and creating impact within their own communities. The project sought to develop an accessible and inclusive business tool that would provide a streamlined way for these entrepreneurs to share and access resources to support the growth and impact of their businesses.

Northern Ontario, Yukon, and Nunavut share similar challenges to workforce development related to their shared Northern, rural, and remote contexts. Current challenges will only grow as sectors increasingly require more digital, leadership, business and administrative, and soft skills. 

The project aimed to understand the challenges facing northern Indigenous women in tourism post-COVID and to co-create recommendations to support them.

As key industries in Nunavut recover from the pandemic, the economy is expected to grow over the next 20 years. However, skills mismatches and other challenges continue to limit the capacity of the resident labour force to satisfy labour market demands.

This project, undertaken for Canada’s Future Skills Centre, drew in various Indigenous, government, and post-secondary partners from Northern Ontario, Yukon, and Nunavut. It features a labour market analysis and economic forecast for each region from 2024 to 2045, as well as descriptions of the in-demand skills and key challenges to workforce and skills development in these Northern regions.

Skilled trades are a priority and among the top occupations in demand in Nunavut, Northern Ontario, and Yukon between 2024 and 2045; meeting this demand remains a persistent concern. Which type of organizations play a key role in sustaining Northern trades? What are the factors that impede Indigenous and Northern students from working in the trades even after they’ve participated in training programs? What plans are in the works that will allow for sustaining training, collaboration, and reduction in duplication in skills development services? Read the impact paper for a look at three programs that are making a difference, and an analysis of more services and approaches that could meet the demand for skilled trades in Canada’s North.

The FEED the North project, spearheaded by the Ocean Wise Conservation Association, targeted economic and environmental challenges in Nunavut, which were intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic and by climate change. This initiative aimed to merge traditional Inuit knowledge with Western science, enhancing sustainability in local fisheries and bridging Indigenous and Western environmental conservation methods.

Using an existing competency framework from the Mining Industry Human Resources Council, and extensive input from front-line workers and supervisors, this project developed 10 microlearning modules and accompanying coaching supports on behaviour-based safety and communication.

Aurora College’s FSC-funded project Indigenous Business Centre of Excellence (IBCE) Feasibility Study aimed to better understand needs, opportunities and best models in establishing an Indigenous Business Centre of Excellence (IBCE) at the NWT institution, as well as establishing a model for a two-year pilot.