GDI Put In Charge Of Metis Training And Employment

GDI Put In Charge Of Metis Training And Employment

Wednesday, January 10, 2007 at 13:07

The federal government has chosen the Gabriel Dumont Institute to be the new provider of Metis training and employment programs in Saskatchewan.

Under a three-year, $22.1-million Aboriginal Human Resources Development Agreement signed with Service Canada today, GDI will establish a new training and employment arm that will offer a broad range of programs in rural, northern and urban Metis communities through 10 new regional delivery offices.

The offices will be located in Ile-a-la-Crosse, La Loche, La Ronge, Meadow Lake, Nipawin, North Battleford, Prince Albert, Saskatoon, Regina and Yorkton.

Last year, Service Canada pulled funding from Metis Employment and Training of Saskatchewan (METSI) due to the fallout from the Metis Nation of Saskatchewan election scandal of 2004.

The province’s Advanced Education and Employment department took over the file, but only on an interim basis.

GDI vice-chair Doyle Vermette says Metis control and responsibility for Metis human resources development are at the heart of this new agreement.

The institute will be assisted by Saskatchewan’s regional colleges, Saskatchewan Advanced Education and Employment, and the Keewatin Career Development Corporation in planning for the creation of the 10 new regional delivery offices.