A job fair directed at Western Canada’s aboriginal community drew 1,100 students from across western Canada for workshops and a trade show on Jan. 14.

Schools from as far as British Columbia, northwestern Ontario and northern Manitoba participated at the fair, though several Manitoba schools were unable to attend due to bad weather, said Jamie Monastyrski, spokesperson for the National Aboriginal Achievement Foundation (NAAF), which hosted the event.

Blueprint for the Future, named for its focus on aboriginal youth, wasn’t offering jobs available only to aboriginals; the focus was on providing that demographic with as much opportunity as possible.

“Aboriginal youth need the extra little boost,” Monastyrski said. “Our youth population is massive and our job market needs workers. We are the fastest growing demographic in Canada.”

Booths from CBC, Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN), oil and forestry companies and the Canadian Forces were among the most prominently featured.

NAAF volunteer Darren Swan, 20, thought the fair was “amazing.”

“ People are stuck on reserves and don’t know what they have available.

Darren Swan, Lake Manitoba First Nation

“I would do it (volunteer) again, and maybe next year take part because I still don’t know what I’m doing myself,” he said.

Swan, an Ojibway from Lake Manitoba First Nation, thinks the job fair is one of the only ways to expose some youth to the opportunities available to them.

“People are stuck on reserves and don’t know what they have available,” he said.

Though many students attended the event, attendance from some Winnipeg high schools was sporadic.

“It’s timing was poor,” said Lynne Hanson, career co-ordinator for Daniel McIntyre Collegiate, adding that the fair fell on exam week for some courses.

She said school’s policy doesn’t allow field trips during exam times.

Hanson, a fan of the job fair, worked with teacher recommendations to get students attending.

She was able to bring five students, though she had hoped for more; she tried to bring two more last minute, but the fair was full.

The fair wasn’t just promoting work, but education, too.

NAAF offers scholarships and bursaries for Aboriginal youth to attend school, whether trade or post-secondary.

The NAAF website states they are the “largest non-governmental funding body for First Nations, Inuit, and Métis post-secondary students across Canada.”

The job fair precedes the 16th annual Aboriginal Achievement Awards, held in Winnipeg on March 6. The awards recognize 14 people of First Nations, Métis and Inuit heritage between the ages of 15 and 24 who have shown outstanding career achievement, according to the website.

The roving job fair will not be in Winnipeg next year, but Manitobans can still attend. Schools can apply for funding for transportation and accommodation, said Monastyrski.

Published in Volume 63, Number 18 of The Uniter (January 29, 2009)