October 03, 2003

Aboriginal and Northern Affairs Minister Oscar Lathlin today signed a strategic agreement with the Manitoba Customer Contact Association to promote employment opportunities for Aboriginal people in the industry.

"We are committed to improving Aboriginal employment opportunities," said Lathlin. "Under this agreement, a strategic human resources plan will guide the Manitoba Customer Contact Association as they work closely with us, the Aboriginal community and individuals."

The plan focuses on specific areas including awareness, recruitment, training and retention strategies in addition to identifying potential barriers to employment for Aboriginal people.

"Our government is very supportive of education and training initiatives that ensure Manitobans have the skills they need to meet workforce demands," said Advanced Education and Training Minister Diane McGifford. "An Aboriginal resource advisor will identify the current levels of education attained by potential employees in each region, which will allow the partners to tailor education and training programs to meet local needs."

This cost-shared project includes $35,000 in funding from Manitoba Advanced Education and Training, $25,000 from Manitoba Aboriginal and Northern Affairs and $25,750 from the Manitoba Customer Contact Association. The Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce Aboriginal Employment Initiative will also be a partner and resource as the project moves forward.

"The association recognizes that achieving a representative workforce requires changes in the workplace, improvements in the knowledge and skills attainment of Aboriginal workers and a comprehensive and focused employment development strategy," Lathlin said.

The Aboriginal community is the youngest and fastest growing segment of Manitoba’s population. Projections indicate that, by 2016, one out of every four people entering the Winnipeg workforce will be of Aboriginal descent.

There are about 100 customer contact centres in Manitoba, including 22 organizations that operate service bureaus or in-house contact centres with more than 100 employees each. The 22 companies represent 80 per cent of the employees in the sector that has a total workforce of 10,300.

- 30 -