Indigenous Economic and Skilled Workforce Development Initiation Project
Many Indigenous Nations are facing major economic challenges. Often the region is struggling with extremely high rates of intergenerational poverty, and a lack of well-paying jobs, creating tremendous social and economic challenges.
FIELDS assists the Indigenous Nations to implement an entrepreneurial and skilled workforce development strategy that will connect students and adults re-entering the workforce with career opportunities in local regions. The crucial first step is to establish the groundwork and data necessary to begin the development of a plan that will build skilled employment opportunities and entrepreneurial capacity within the people.
FIELDS is an organization specializing in delivering solutions for economic and skilled workforce development. We deliver programs and support services to people living in intergenerational poverty in rural and underserved communities in collaboration with industry, schools, colleges, and other partners, building on untapped human capital of the region. We connect individuals living in intergenerational poverty to career opportunities within their local economies. This project will identify and provide education and training guidance required to:
- Establish entrepreneurial and employment opportunities that exist that have not been developed,
- Create the skilled workforce needs of the Nation that are required to participate the future expansion of new and existing businesses,
- Develop the resources (both human and material) and education and training pathways required to pursue those opportunities.
In this project FIELDS will implement its holistic approach to life skills, leadership, mentoring, and other self-reliance curriculum through career-focused educational content to underserved populations as it has done in:
- Idaho (7 min),
- Canada (5 min), and
- New Mexico (5 min).
Initiation Plan
The innovative FIELDS approach to educational experience and connection with the local economy is as dynamic as the team that supports its work. Our team consists of experienced educators, post- secondary leaders, economic specialists, entrepreneurs, mentorship specialists, and curriculum development professionals. This team will successfully engage education, business, industry and Indigenous leadership to create a solid plan to build a robust, workable and successful skilled workforce development strategy.
Objective
The primary goal is to establish the groundwork and data necessary to begin the development of a plan to build skilled employment opportunities and entrepreneurial capacity within the people.
Process
Through a series of meetings and gatherings, senior FIELDS leadership gather information, reports, data and perspectives that will be used to formulate a development strategy. Significant direction in connecting economic strategy with the development of an education and training initiative. At this stage a list of stakeholders will developed to be representative, considering the size and diversity of the Nation. Validation of data and information gathered will be conducted in subsequent meetings with the same individuals, or a subset of these individuals/groups.
Situational Analysis
FIELDS will work closely with the Nation leaders, Regional Business Development Offices, educators, and employers to produce a situational analysis of the region. Initial engagement starts the economic development of the nation, and a limited number of stakeholders to:
- Gather updated reports on the initiatives,
- Identify economic and education priorities of the Nation, and
- Understand the local context.
The situational analysis is foundational for the development of a Skills, Education and Training Strategy considering core economic, education and employment data.
Skills, Education and Training Analysis
FIELDS collect information and feedback from leaders, educators, and employers on how education and training efforts can contribute to meeting the human resource needs of the region. This analysis will provide direction to establish a gap analysis for the plan development.
Prioritization
Nation leaders, economic development leaders and educators will provide their perspective on establishing priorities in the development of the skills, education and training. Economic priorities will be directly reviewed in relation to human resource and training needs.. This will be done through several meetings and follow-up validation consultations. FIELDS will report on these priorities, incorporating them into the final report.
Compilation of Data, Synthesis of Information & Research
FIELDS will bring together the information gathered through the Situational Analysis, Skills, Education and Training Analysis and Prioritization meetings, data collected from these groups and synthesize it to establish trends, issues and topics. Additional research and data collection may be necessary to inform the development of a proposed plan.
Plan Development
FIELDS will develop a framework for the development of a Skills, Education and Training Strategy based on its findings, research, exemplary practices and the information/information received. The framework will propose focus, outcomes, process, time frames and deliverables for developing the Strategy. It will also identify the potential funding requirements for the development of Skills, Education & Training Strategy. This plan will be presented to Nation leadership and those stakeholders identified.
Outcomes
Analysis of reports, strategies, data gathered, and further research will be conducted and form part of a final report that will include:
- Stake-holder's input on local employment needs and opportunities,
- How education and training is contributing to those needs,
- Identification of, education and training areas to be investigated and prioritized,
- Proposed framework for the development of an Integrated Skills, Education and Training Strategy, and
- Funding requirements for the development of Skills, Education & Training Strategy
Summary
The initiation process will provide understanding of the Nation’s economic and education context in enough detail to propose a project to develop a detailed Skills, Education & Training Strategy. The process will take a few months and provide a pathway forward to be proposed to the Nation’s leadership and have enough detail to identify timelines and funding requirements needed for strategy development.