Federal government invests $3.2 million to train Treaty 7 youth for the workforce
Community Futures Treaty 7 will run a three-year program providing classroom training and paid work placements to Indigenous youth across southern Alberta.
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The federal government is investing more than $3.2 million to prepare and train Treaty 7 youth for the workforce, helping develop job skills and provide hands-on work experience across southern Alberta.
The funding, made possible by the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy (YESS) program, will support Community Futures Treaty 7's (CFT7) Regional Skills Link Project. The three-year agreement began in January 2025 and runs through March 2028.
Indigenous Services Minister Mandy Gull-Masty said employment programs must account for the realities First Nations communities face. "Communities across the country are truly preparing for a change in this economy, and we know that First Nations youth need to be and should be at the forefront of participating in that space," she said.
The program operates through two streams. The first provides group-based training where 105 participants spend nine weeks in a classroom developing skills, followed by 12 weeks of paid work experience on or off reserves. The second supports 20 long-term work placements per year, helping youth secure employment while providing wage subsidies to employers who hire Indigenous youth.
"The ultimate goal is to create employment. We want all the youth that go through this program to get a job at the end of it," said Rob St. Denis, youth labour market consultant for CFT7.
One of the biggest barriers facing Indigenous youth is knowing what jobs exist outside their communities. A 2016 CFT7 research project involving 400 Treaty 7 high school students found many could only identify jobs they regularly saw locally, such as teachers, firefighters, and police officers. "We have to do a better job of getting that information out to young people," St. Denis said.
Michelle Fox, who works with youth from Kainai First Nation, pointed to another challenge: establishing industry connections. "I feel like we are giving a lot of our youth the skills, but sometimes we don't have the connections to the places to keep them employed," she said.
CFT7 is a community-based economic development organization that has operated for more than 30 years, helping Indigenous Albertans on and off reserves with employment and business development. Since 2019, the organization has helped more than 3,500 First Nations youth gain employment and more than 2,800 return to school. The federal government has partnered with CFT7 on youth employment programming since 2016, providing more than $89 million under the Indigenous Skills and Employment Training program between 2019 and 2029.
The facts
How much is the federal government investing in this youth training program?
The federal government is investing more than $3.2 million through the Youth Employment and Skills Strategy program to support Community Futures Treaty 7's Regional Skills Link Project.
When does the three-year program run?
The Regional Skills Link Project runs from January 2025 through March 2028.
How many youth can participate in the classroom training stream?
The classroom-based training stream supports 105 participants, who spend nine weeks in group training followed by 12 weeks of paid work experience.
How many youth has Community Futures Treaty 7 helped find employment since 2019?
Since 2019, Community Futures Treaty 7 has helped more than 3,500 First Nations youth gain employment.
