First nation training goes to the MAATS: three-year project to train 300 people.

• Author: Stewart, Nick
• Position: TRAINING & EDUCATION

With several prominent mining projects on the nearby horizon, a trio of northeastern First Nations communities are looking to a new training initiative to connect the dots between their people and potential new jobs.

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To provide residents with the skills they need to participate in Northern Ontario's mining sector, the Matachewan, Wahgoshig and Mattagami First Nations have created the Matachewan Aboriginal Access to Jobs Training Strategy (MAATS).

Represented collectively by the Wabun Tribal Council, the three communities are seeking to train 300 First Nations people over the life of the new three-year project.

"It's a great way to link our people with jobs we've outlined with mining companies in the various impact benefit agreements," says Jason Batise, chairman of MAATS.

"It draws a clear link between those jobs and the training need to make them a reality. This is just another way to take advantage of those opportunities."

Spearheaded by Matachewan's economic development officials, the project recently received $2 million from the federal government through Human Resources and Skills Development Canada. With additional funding pouring in from the province and the affected communities, project funding now sits at roughly $4 million.

Interested individuals contact the project office at the Matachewan reserve, where four people work full-time to administer the program.

After a sufficient number of people undergo an intake, officials determine what training is needed, and the appropriate curriculum is purchased from Northern College and delivered on the reserve by an Aboriginal instructor.

While the program has just begun, 45 people have already undergone an intake for general educational upgrading in preparation of further training.

However, such training is not earned for its own sake, as the education must match up to specific jobs, Batise says.

MAATS is looking to connect not only with its various partners where the promise of jobs may lie far in the future, but also with other nearby mining firms on the verge of needing skilled workers.

These include the likes of Lake Shore Gold; as well as Northgate Minerals, who now represents the project's corporate partner.

This proximity represents a huge advantage for the communities, as many First Nation residents must often leave their homes and travel elsewhere to find jobs in their field, Batise says.

Through this program and its various private-sector partnerships...