Blood Tribe Employment & Skills Training

BTEST Vision:

A thriving Blood Tribe community filled with inspiration and opportunity.

BTEST Mission:

To design, build, attract and ignite talent! 

BTEST:

• Works with partners to develop and coordinate training and to increase opportunities that lead to employment;
• Assists individuals obtain or access employment opportunities leading to independence and self sustainability by:
  • Helping clients with needs assessments and making referrals assistance;
  • Providing job search, career exploration and planning, short term training and employment assistance services;
  • Encouraging clients to take an active role in their career planning by providing the necessary tools to help them achieve their goals; and
  • Facilitating opportunities for employment.

BTEST is funded in part by the ISETS agreement through Community Futures Treaty Seven. The Indigenous Skills and Employment Training Strategy (ISETS) is an integrated approach to Labour market programming. ISETS links training to labour market demand and ensures that Canada’s Aboriginal people can fully participate in economic opportunities.

Under this strategy, Aboriginal agreement and sub-agreement holders such as BTEST, design and deliver employment programs and services best suited to the unique needs of their clients.

ISETS is designed to help Aboriginal people prepare for and find high-demand jobs quickly, as well as keep them in the long term. All Aboriginal people, regardless of status or location, may access its programs and services, which include:

• • skills development;
  • Job training (one year or less);
  • job finding;
  • programs for youth;
  • programs for urban and Aboriginal people with disabilities; and
  • access to child care.

Goal 1: Expand the accessibility of all programs and services

Goal 2: Increase community awareness to inspire and motivate

Goal 3: Create more opportunities that lead to long-term employment

Goal 4: Enhance the capacity and productivity of BTEST

Goal 5: Increase client success

Goal 6: Grow employment rates

The BTEST department offers a number of services daily to accommodate your employment needs including:

Career Counselling

The BTEST Career Counsellors provide assistance with building realistic and achievable career plans through an assessment process. In addition, we help clients by directing them to various training opportunities. Our Career Counsellors are available at any time to help you with your career needs. Feel free to call our office and request an appointment for a one on one session to help you:

• Explore potential Career options by completing on-line and written exercises in identifying your skills, aptitudes and interests related to future Careers;
• Explore possible Career options including assistance in researching job conditions, pay rates, working conditions and other related topics;
• Identifying various training and education options including short-term training, post secondary education and other forms of learning including potential funding options.
• Plan your career path.

Each Career Counsellor works with separate programs but will work together to provide you with the tools and skills you need to move forward in your future career.

Employment Office

The Employment Office focuses on delivery of programs for Blood Tribe members searching for job opportunities and assists Blood Tribe members with:

• Cover Letter and Resume development.
• Job searching skills including job boards and employer referrals.
• Interview skills development, and employment maintenance.
• Computers, Printing and Faxing are available to assist with job search activities.

The Employment Officer also works with employers’ on-Reserve and in surrounding communities to find employment opportunities and provides workshops on various job search and job readiness topics.

BTEST may host workshops, job fairs and other activities to assist employers and clients in arranging opportunities to network and find employment.  Employers can include medium-larger organizations that recruit workers for short-long term positions.  Workshops assist clients in preparing for job opportunities.

Jaime Blood is the Employment Officer and is available for appointments. Please contact the office for an appointment.

In addition to our regular services, BTEST offers programs to assist you in your employment goals. The following programs may be accessed for funding including:

Individual Funding

Training is that form of instruction training, other than post secondary education that is conducted in a classroom or other facilities approved for this purpose.  Generally, the training is short term (one year or less), must be accredited or industry recognized and provides specific job related skills for specific job requirements and can take the form of on the job, off-site or institutional training coordinated on a task-by-task or subject basis.  Some university courses leading to baccalaureate requirements may qualify for funding if students are in the final year of their program.  Further, diploma programs are not eligible unless they are less than one year in duration.  Industry related training that is up to two weeks is eligible. 

Short term training options include:

• Any training program up to one year in length
• Short-term tickets and other safety certification
• Apprenticeship training programs
• Technical training programs.

The Individual Funding program operates annually on a first come, first serve basis. Funding is available for items such as tuition, books and supplies; basic training allowance; travel allowance (some restrictions apply); and child care costs. Please contact Alison Frank, Career Counsellor, for more information and details on how to apply for this program

Work Gear

The Work Gear program is available for clients who have found full-time employment and who require assistance to begin a new job with work related gear and items. The program applies to new jobs only and assistance must be applied for within 30 days of the employee’s start date. In addition, this assistance can only be accessed once in a three year period. 

Interested clients must complete an application form including supporting documentation. The client, upon approval will be supplied with a Purchase Order at one of our participating Vendors for the purchase of work related clothing and tools. 

In-House Programs

BTEST offers a variety of in-house training programs each year. Programs vary from training that is brought in from other institutions and delivered on-site to industry specific programs. All training initiatives are improved to meet the unique needs of the community. Individuals completing these programs leave with industry recognized certification.   Programs are designed to meet the needs of employers and can be announced year round. Please refer to the News and Events Page for any upcoming Programs announced. For more information, please contact Darryl Day Chief; In-House Programs Officer.

Youth Programs

The Youth Programs Office offers several programs annually for individuals ages 15-30. Each summer, students attending high school and post-secondary institutions have the opportunity to secure summer employment.  In addition, employers have access to any individual who applies, with the Youth Programs Officer facilitating fit between employer and student. BTEST also offers a Youth Work Experience Program for those individuals who have been out of school and unemployed.

• Summer Student Program

The Summer Student program operates from May – August each year. The program releases employer applications beginning in February of each year. Department, Entities and other agencies can apply for a funded student position. Once the jobs are selected, the job list will be released to the students applying through the program. Positions can range from 16 weeks to 8 weeks in length and may be in any community on-reserve or in the surrounding communities. Post-secondary Students can apply beginning in April for the current year. Applications can be picked up at the BTEST office.

BTEST also offers a number of programs for High School students. Beginning in May, the BTEST team will recruit for High School students at schools both on-reserve and in surrounding Communities. BTEST offers the high School program, teams of five students will take training at the BTEST office for one week, then be placed at a participating Department for a period of five weeks for work experience. We also offer specialty programs including the Business Entrepreneur program, a partnership with Blood Tribe Economic Development. Programs for the current year are announced in May of each year. Applications are taken until June, please refer to the news and events page for more information.

• Youth Work Experience Program

For those Youth aged 18-30 who are currently out of school and unemployed, BTEST offers an annual Work Experience Program. Participants apply to the program at various dates throughout the year. Once accepted, participants will have the opportunity to cover many aspects of employment in a class environment for a term of 6-8 weeks including:

• Career Exploration
• Career planning
• Job Search
• Employment Maintenance.

Participants are then placed in a work experience with a partnering department, preferably in a field they may enter in the future. Work Experience lasts for a period of 18-20 weeks.

BTEST will host other Youth Programs based on Opportunities available. Please refer to the News and Events page for more information. Information on all the Youth Programs can be provided by contacting Trent Frank, Youth Programs Officer, at the BTEST office.

The Indigenous Labour Market Survey (LMI) is an ongoing initiative that aims to document employment trends and histories among Blood Tribe Members. With this data, we hope to help identify workforce gaps and match Blood Tribe members with the right training and jobs.

Please contact Jami Wells, LMI Project Coordinator, at 403-360-0798 or 403-737-8149 for more information or to take the survey (requires approximately 20 minutes). Participants are paid $20. NOTE: you may only take the survey once every 12 months.