Skills training and development is a critical component for supporting Métis people in achieving their career aspirations and advancing the interests of Métis communities across Ontario. In support of this goal, the Métis Nation of Ontario (MNO) provides a comprehensive suite of employment programs and services that include career counselling, employment readiness training, wage subsidies, apprenticeship support, mobility assistance, self-employment, youth initiatives and services for clients with disabilities. Programs and services are delivered through community-based service sites across the province.

The Statement of Prime Purpose, the founding document of the MNO identifies “to encourage academic and skills development and to enable citizens of the Métis Nation to attain their educational aspirations” as a key objective. In pursuit of this goal, the MNO established training initatives in 1996 with funding from the Métis Human Resource Development Agreement (MHRDA).For the next ten years, the MNO built an excellent infrastructure through which it delivered employment and training initiatives to qualified Métis candidates.

That success, widely recognized at both the provincial and federal level, attracted additional program funding. As a result, the MNO became more and more engaged in education oriented initiatives and its responsibilities in the program delivery area continued to grow. The MNO Education & Training Branch now provides a full range of employment training programs and supports for the educational success of all Métis across Ontario beginning in early childhood, continuing through K to 12 to post-secondary education and into adulthood.

In 2010, the MHRDA program was phased out and replaced with the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy (ASETS). The MNO was successful in applying for funding under the new program and will be receiving $30.6 million over a five year period. With one in every four Métis in Ontario under the age of 14, the MNO is poised to play an even more significant role in the development and delivery of education and training programs in the future.The MNO and its many partners, including the province, recognize the potential for this growing population of young Métis to play a key role in creating a healthier, more prosperous Ontario.

This potential will only be realized if young Métis can access to the best skills training and education available. The value of the support for the MNO Education & Training from ASETS goes beyond education and training. Because it also provides monetary support for cultural programs, the MNO has helped to build a real sense of pride in Métis citizens. Armed with the enhanced self-confidence and strong self-esteem these programs fostered, young Métis citizens have uncovered and embraced the will and determination to live a successful life.

All employment and training funded by the MNO Education and Training Branch must meet eligible guidelines and accountability requirements as outlined within MNO’s respective labour market funding agreements. The MNO’s labour market programs and services are funded through Human Resources and Skills Development Canada’s (HRSDC) Aboriginal Skills and Employment and Training Strategy (ASETS). The three strategic priorities of ASETS are outlined as follows:

  1. Demand driven skills development
  2. Partnership with the private sector and across the whole-of-government
  3. Accountability for improved results

Training programs are generally described within the following categories:

  • Training Programs are either client based or project based
  • Training Programs are funded through either Consolidated Revenue Funds (CRF) or Employment Insurance (EI) dollars
  • Training Programs are either Regional or Provincial in their focus

All training activity will reflect one or a combination of the three options above, and will need to meet the following criteria:

  • Accessible only through a intake session and pre-screening interview
  • Funding requests are subject to review and approval processes
  • Funding cannot cover the costs of an activity or intervention that is already receiving funding for the exact same training or intervention activity
  • Training and employment is directly related to finding and keeping a job or increasing employability skills in measurable ways
  • Capacity building related activity that supports the development of community capacity and labour market opportunities
  • Must be conducted in accordance with MNO Conditions of Funding, Client Training Agreements and contracting process

Client Based Training Programs

  • Training for Individual Métis clients
  • Focus on unemployed and under-employed
  • Attendance to be monitored
  • MNO Education & Training Regional Office staff to monitor client’s progress
  • Client to offer feed back on course

Project Based Training Programs

  • Training for groups of people with similar employment needs
  • Greater focus on employability skills and skills to employment opportunities
  • Should contain the following elements: skills training, capacity building, community outreach, employability skills, job search skills, job placement, and should have a community focus
  • Clients and projects will be monitored to ensure compliance with approved objectives
  • Client and sponsor/employer to offer feedback on project

EI Training Dollars

  • Employment Insurance (EI) funds come from the Employment Insurance Act. Eligible EI expenditures relate to the approved EI programs described in the annual operational plan and support measures that have been identified to assist EI clients. Clients accessing these funding programs must be EI reach back or be an active EI recipient

CRF Training Dollars

  • Consolidated Revenue Funds (CRF) relate to the approved CRF programs and support services identified within the annual operational plan and are subject to client eligibility and MNO policies and procedures.

Regional Training Programs

  • Activity must benefit the region and clients in the region and relate to regional priorities.
  • Reviewed and recommended through Regional Advisory Committee (RAC) and Regional Employment and Training Coordinators (RETC) with final approval by the MNO.

Provincial Training Programs

  • Must benefit Métis people across the province and address provincial labour market shortages and/or priority issues
  • Reviewed and recommended through Project Review Committee (PRC) with final approval by MNO.
  • Must consider issues related to geographic equity