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Apprenticeship Training

The Kwanlin Dün First Nation has been diligently working to address the shortage of skilled trades people in the Yukon and Canada. In an effort to address this shortage, KDFN’s Departments of Education and Community Services have collaborated over the summer to recruit Kwanlin Dün citizens who are interested in working in the trades to work on the Northern Housing Trust Fund (NHTF) housing renovations.

The recruitment process has been highly successful and the Department of Community Services has hired over 30 community members to work on this project. These workers will also gain valuable hours of training in all of the trades. A Kwanlin Dün community member, who is a journeyman carpenter, has been hired as the foreman of the NHTF Project, which enables any apprentices to accrue the hours they each need towards completing their apprenticeship certification.

Following the high interest in potential future employment in the trades, the departments decided to see if there were community members interested in the Apprenticeship and the Women in Trades and Technology (WITT) Programs delivered by Yukon College.

Thus, the two departments organized a community meeting on July 22 at Na’Kwa’Ta’Ku Potlatch House with representatives from the Department of Advanced Education, Apprenticeship Branch. Darwin O’Brien, of the Apprenticeship Branch, discussed the possibilities of Kwanlin Dün members entering an apprenticeship program of their choice. Darwin, and his colleague Kelly Ogle, delivered a presentation outlining the prerequisites, entrance requirements, testing and availability of funding to any apprenticeship program. Darwin and Kelly made a power point presentation and answered questions about apprenticeship programs and trades qualifications.

Following this well-attended community meeting, it seems that some Kwanlin Dün First Nation employees may enter the apprenticeship program under the on-staff Journeymen already employed by the Kwanlin Dün First Nation. The apprentices will be able to work under Journeymen and Tradesmen in the available trades in order to gain the required hours and experience they each need to become certified in their particular trades.

Also, Community Services is searching for journeymen in trade areas other than carpentry to allow apprentices to obtain hours in those trades and become certified journeymen. In addition, Community Services in collaboration with the House of Learning is planning to have the apprenticeship entrance exam administered in house to any interested community members.

This apprenticeship initiative is one example of the Kwanlin Dün First Nation assisting community members to gain skills in order to provide services to their own First Nation and to develop a well-skilled work force to take on larger projects Kwanlin Dün might secure in the future.

By developing a resource pool of highly qualified journeypersons, the Kwanlin Dün First Nation will be able to meet the current and future demands for skilled trades’ people in the Yukon.