Ontario helps students be first in family to pursue higher education
Peguis First Nation to get 2nd vote on $64 million deal
Ontario helps students be first in family
to pursue higher education
Ontario Premier Dalton McGuinty announced August 30th new investments to build opportunity for young people by helping students become the first in their family to attend college or university or become an apprentice.
"We're on the side of Ontario families who are working hard to build opportunity for their children," said Premier McGuinty. "By providing young people with the information and financial support they need to pursue higher education, we're creating a highly skilled workforce that will attract jobs and investment and help all Ontarians prosper."
The McGuinty government is investing $5 million in programs run by colleges, universities and community organizations that will help potential first generation students - young people whose parents did not attend college or university. These partners will encourage young people to pursue postsecondary education and apprenticeships by offering valuable information and advice.
The government is also investing $1 million in Ontario First Generation Student Bursaries that will be distributed by colleges and universities to eligible students in the 2006-07 academic year. The bursary program was established last year to assist students facing financial obstacles to higher education.
The funding is part of the government's plan to invest $15 million in 2006-07, rising to $55 million in 2009-10, to help postsecondary institutions deliver programs that improve access for first generation students, as well as francophones, Aboriginal peoples and persons with disabilities. Special focus will be given to the needs of students in northern, remote and rural communities, as well as urban neighbourhoods.
Chris Bentley, Minister of Training, Colleges and Universities joined the Premier for this announcement at Seneca College in Toronto.
"By investing in first generation students, we're helping build opportunity for vulnerable youth and strengthening our economy," said Bentley. "Young people, particularly those who may be at risk, must be offered positive alternatives that strengthen their connection to the community and invest in their future."
The McGuinty government is also investing $750,000 this year in the Seneca Centre for Outreach Education, which helps first generation students and students with disabilities. Investing in programs to increase access to postsecondary education is just one way the McGuinty government is working on the side of Ontario families who want to build opportunity for their children.
Other initiatives include:
- Investing $6.2 billion over five years in postsecondary education and training
- Doubling investment in student aid to help nearly 200,000 students pay for the cost of higher education in 2006-07
- Establishing a new student access guarantee to ensure all qualified Ontario students can attend college or university
- Increasing the number of apprenticeship registrations to 26,000 annually by the end of 2007-08.
"In today's globally competitive economy, the best jobs go to the places with the most highly skilled workforce," said Premier McGuinty. "We're going to continue to invest in the skills and knowledge of our greatest asset - our people - to make sure Ontario is the place to be for years to come."
Skills for life at PTI
New employees benefit from Apprenticeship Training Program
The discovery of diamonds in the Northwest Territories in 1991 sparked the biggest staking rush in Canadian history among prospecting companies. For Edmonton-based PTI Group Inc., one of the world’s largest suppliers of integrated remote site services, it sparked the creation of many new jobs for Aboriginals and Northerners.
Employees of Ek’Ati Services Ltd. presently take care of 700 Diavik workers living in Lac de Gras, 300 kilometres northeast of Yellowknife. Ek’Ati Services is a joint venture between PTI and Deton’Cho Investments North Ltd., the corporate arm of the Yellowknives Dene First Nation.
This is just one example of how PTI employees use their skills to enhance the lives of people working in remote regions. As industry sectors such as mining grow, PTI is seeking to provide more career opportunities to Aboriginals and Northerners. Find out how you can get involved.
What opportunities are available at PTI for those seeking meaningful employment?
PTI offers a range of attractive positions and apprenticeship opportunities in both manufacturing trades and food services. Manufacturing positions include carpenters, electricians and plumbers, while food services and hospitality positions include cooks, chefs, bakers and housekeepers.
“In addition to a full-time job, our Apprenticeship Training Program will provide our employees with paid hands-on training and industry-recognized certification in the chosen trade,” says Terry Mulrooney, Human Resources Advisor at PTI.
I have no experience. How do I know what position is best for me?
Through its recruitment program, PTI works with Aboriginal employees to help them make career choices. “This allows people to try out a certain role to determine if it is right for them,” says Mulrooney. After an initial orientation, trainees go though a one- to three-week practicum assessment to help increase their knowledge and skills related to a certain position. Trainees also participate in job-shadowing, where they can learn from qualified professionals and try the job themselves.
What other training programs are available to employees?
PTI offers various training programs in conjunction with its partners. For example, Ek’Ati currently offers a Northern Cooks Apprenticeship Program through the Mine Training Society and the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT). PTI also partners with Portage College in Northern Alberta to offer the Employability Skills Program, which assists students in making the transition from school to the workplace through on-the-job training.
There are a lot of career options. What are the benefits of working with PTI?
“All accommodations and food expenses are paid, as well as ground transportation to and from the site,” says Mulrooney. “This provides our employees with the opportunity to save a lot of their earnings.” In addition to apprenticeship programs and on-the-job training, PTI offers safety courses such as Advanced Food Safety Training, First Aid/CPR and Shop Safety. PTI is very proud of its safety standard, having earned the “2004 Best Safety Performer” by Work Safe Alberta.
PTI Group has earned a reputation as the number one private sector contractor of Aboriginal workers north of 60 in its industry. How has it accomplished this?
“PTI places enormous emphasis on the benefits of creating relationships with Aboriginal partners that contribute positively to the community,” says Suzan Marie, Aboriginal Affairs Manager at PTI. “Jobs, training, apprenticeship programs and the like are tangible economic benefits that our partners value.”
To date, PTI has successfully partnered with over 20 joint ventures with Aboriginal partners in the Northwest Territories, Nunavut, northern Alberta, and northern British Columbia.
If you are interested in a career with PTI Group, contact PTI’s recruitment office toll-free at 1-800-314-2695. For more information on career opportunities or to apply for specific positions, visit PTI’s website at www.ptigroup.com.
Peguis First Nation to get 2nd vote on $64 million deal
The Peguis First Nation may have to wait up to six months before band members can vote again on a $64-million treaty settlement deal.
Not enough band members voted on the offer, which would also include about 22,000 hectares of provincial Crown land.
Acting treaty land entitlement co-ordinator Earl Stevenson said only 1,384 of 3,526 eligible voters cast a ballot on August 29th.
The vote required a majority, or 1,764 eligible voters, to mark a ballot. But the offer allows for a second vote in 180 days, if ordered by federal Aboriginal Affairs Minister Jim Prentice.
Bob Norton, a regional director of Indian Affairs, said the deal also states a majority of eligible voters won't need to cast a ballot on the second vote. Stevenson said 91 per cent of those who voted were in support of the offer.
``It's a disappointment that they didn't get a required majority, but it's a solid indication of overwhelming support for the agreement,'' he said.
Stevenson wouldn't speculate about why voter turnout was so low.
Band members were offered five advance polls and plenty of notification about Tuesday's vote.
The offer would settle a dispute between Peguis and the federal and provincial governments over about 65,000 hectares of land lost 99 years ago.
The money from the settlement will go toward purchasing land and setting up a trust fund for the community, located 175 kilometres north of Winnipeg.