Apatisiwin is a Swampy Cree word meaning “employment, training, and jobs” and the vision of the Apatisiwin Program is to ensure Indigenous people gain education, experience, and skills to achieve and maintain meaningful employment and improve their employability.
Apatisiwin directly supports urban Indigenous individuals and communities and includes people of Indigenous ancestry from Turtle Island. Apatisiwin works in partnership with other ISETP Agreement Holders across the province. Apatisiwin Employment and Youth Employment Counsellors work within a community setting, using trauma informed practices and holistic approaches, to provide and facilitate access to employment training and skills development programs for Urban Indigenous people with the intention to make a positively impact upon a direct-service users’ employability.
Apatisiwin offers employment and training services through Apatisiwin funded and non-funded Interventions. Interventions are defined as an action plan activity, within a specific timeframe, co-developed by a direct-service user and an Employment Counsellor or Youth Employment Counsellor, intended to assist a direct-service user to enter the work force, improve employability, stay in school, return to school, or to obtain and/or maintain employment. Apatisiwin Employment and Youth Employment Counsellors work with community members to conduct trauma informed assessments, develop action plans, determine and administer Interventions as appropriate and to
conduct follow up and monitors to track outcomes.
Using culturally-relevant approaches, Apatisiwin also provides employment and education related workshops, presentations, engagement opportunities with local employers, education institutions, job developers and community-based project based on the local communities’ needs.
Program Goal
The Apatisiwin program will offer employment and training interventions and other activities designed to improve education and employment outcomes for Urban Indigenous people residing in Ontario. Each program site will employ an Employment Counsellor who is responsible for delivering services to eligible direct-service users by assessing their needs and supporting the development of an action plan to address identified employment barriers.
Program Objectives
- Develop labour force skills to improve employability of urban Indigenous people;
- Develop employment opportunities for direct-service users through employer partnerships and community based economic development activities;
- Support direct-service users to stay in school, return to school and transition along the education and employment continuum;
- Advance urban Indigenous community development through increased labour force participation and retention.
Expected Results
- Increased employment among urban Indigenous people;
- Improved employability of urban Indigenous people in Ontario;
- Increase urban Indigenous student success.
Workshops
- Resume/Cover Letter
- Interview Tips
- Vision Board/Goal Setting
- Body Mapping
- Mindfulness Bottle
- Self Care
- Life Skills
- Employment and Academic Readiness
Non-funded/Funded Interventions
- Intake, Employment Counselling. Action Plan Development, Application Processing, Employer Referrals, Job Search, Referral to Agencies, Resume/Cover Letter Assistance, Interview Prep
- `On-the-Job Training. Purchase of Training, Employment Supports, Apprenticeship Skills Training, Training Supports, Pre-Employment Training, Community Building & Partnerships, Self-Employment Training, Stay in School Initiative, Summer Jobs, Pre-Career Development
Target Population
The intended direct-service user base of ISETP interventions is Indigenous people. Specifically, the OFIFC and its Apatisiwin program is intended to primarily provide access to employment and training services for Indigenous people living in urban Indigenous communities in Ontario. While minimum levels of service and drop-in services may be made available to anyone, including non-Indigenous people as required by federal legislation, the Apatisiwin funded interventions are intended for:
- Unemployed and/or underemployed people of Indigenous ancestry who reside in urban communities;
- Underemployed or employed persons, in rare cases, and only when they meet the specific eligibilities provided per Apatisiwin Intervention and only when the intervention is extraordinary and time limited.
- Residents of Ontario;
- In School Youth and Adults;
- Individuals who are not currently receiving funding through another ISETP Agreement Holder without full disclosure to Apatisiwin Employment Counsellors or Youth Employment Counsellors;
