Skills and Job Training: Income Assistance Program

Equipping First Nations people to fully participate in the economy is a priority for the Government of Canada and First Nations.

Budget 2013, provides funding for the on-reserve Income Assistance Program to help ensure First Nation youth can access the skills and training they need to secure employment.

"This program actually motivated me to want to go back to school, and I want to choose a career."

Adrian - Treaty 7 Blood Tribe First Nation, Alberta

The program has two elements to help ensure youth who are able to work have the support, skills and training required to gain employment:

  1. Enhanced Service Delivery provides support to First Nation communities to create the service delivery capacity necessary to effectively support eligible youth as they participate in training and transition to employment;
  2. First Nations Job Fund supports a range of activities, including up to one year of training leading to employment.

As of January 14 2015, youth from 88 First Nations from across the country are participating in skills training and job readiness activities.

Connecting Youth with Jobs: Reforming Income Assistance video outlines some of the benefits of the program for First Nations youth.

Roundtables across Canada with Young Participants of the Enhanced Service Delivery

"I'm not even done the program yet and it has already changed my life so far."

Jasmine: Treaty 7 Blood Tribe First Nation, Alberta

Over the summer and fall 2014, AANDC is hosting a series of roundtables across the country to hear from First Nations youth who are participating in the Enhanced Service Delivery program. Roundtables have taken place in the following locations:

Success stories from each of the roundtables were also collected.

The Government of Canada wants to hear about their experiences and find out how this initiative is helping them gain the skills and training they need to find a job. Case management workers and program providers will also have the chance to share their experiences.

For more information on the Income Assistance program in your community, contact the AANDC regional office nearest you.

Additional Information: