Conclusions

The aboriginal labour force is more diverse than the non-aboriginal population, and it is less skilled and less educated. Aboriginal youth need training in adequate life skills and career development. More career counselling services are required. For employment and training programs to be effective, non-aboriginal people must understand that distinct cultural differences exist among aboriginal peoples. This indicates a need to create more dialogue between aboriginal groups, business, education, labour, and governments. The private sector and government should establish cooperative work programs for aboriginal high-school students through partnerships with aboriginal peoples. Both internal and external mechanisms are needed to incorporate and use aboriginal input in implementing employment equity. Equity programs that recruit aboriginal peoples simply to fill minority quotas are not effective and are demoralizing to aboriginal employees.

The CLFDB can assist in the process of alleviating the difficulties experienced by aboriginal peoples in transition from training or education to employment by taking the following actions.

• Encourage the development of partnerships for employment, training, and education among government, the private sector, and aboriginal organizations, communities, schools, and businesses.
  
  
• Encourage the inclusion of aboriginal people in all levels of planning, developing, and implementing employment and training programs in all federal government departments.
  
  
• Encourage the development of orientation programs and the use of aboriginal counsellors within the Public Service Commission to provide support services.
  
  
• Assess the Public Service Commission's efforts to retain aboriginal people in the federal public service by reviewing employment standards, employee promotion procedures, and hiring practices.
  
  
• Promote meaningful employment equity by creating a model employment program for aboriginal peoples within the CLFDB offices.
  
  
• Encourage aboriginal cultural awareness training for all federal government departments.