For the second year in a row, the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technologies has received a $30,000 donation from Contractor Connections.
Director of Career Centres at SIIT Marc Longjohn Okihcihtaw says the donation will not only help SIIT continue to help people access career opportunities, training, and resources, but it also doubles as an investment in the future of the province.
“If we can invest in the people that live here, they’re going to stay here. I really believe, and I know for a fact, that this investment is going to help them with things like resume building, mobile employer connections. It’s going to give them a better chance of success than they have currently,” he states. “Clients walk through the door that have multiple barriers. They have no drivers’ (license), no access to a computer, no access to computer skills. They couldn’t even print off a resume so how are they going to be successful? They can come here and get that opportunity.”
SIIT has 10 Career Centres across the province, as well as their Job Connections Mobile Unit. The three main centres are located in Saskatoon, Regina and Prince Albert. He says he has registered about 3,300 job seekers who were eager to find employment or training.
Last year, the money went towards the purchase of 29 new computers, which support safety ticket completion, resume updating, online training and job searching.
“Keeping up with technology never ends. We updated some of our computers. We upscaled in resumes…our students are able to come down here and access our computers. Job seekers that walk through the door can create a resume.”
Okihcihtaw says the funding will also allow SIIT to help break the negative lifestyle cycles of their clients and students.
“For an example, my son and my daughter see me and my wife wake up and go to work every day. So, when the younger generation of Indigenous workers or First Nation job seekers, when they see that, they’re going to normalize that. We want to create healthy patterns for the community so they can provide for their family and do good things with the skills that they have.”
