In collaboration with Jelly Academy, BHER CEO Valerie Walker, and Chief R&D Officer Matt McKean joined Indigenous Skills and Employment Training (ISET) Program organizations, national sector councils, employers, and post-secondary partners for a working forum to co-design scalable pathways that connect Indigenous learners and workers to in-demand careers through inclusive recruitment and work-integrated learning (WIL) pathways.
The forum focused on advancing economic reconciliation and talent pipeline development by aligning education, training, and employer demand, from initial workforce entry through long-term career progression and leadership.
Participants in the working forum collaborated across three areas:
- Designing Indigenous Talent Pipelines: exploring how to turn entry points such as WIL into long-term employment pathways, and what supports are needed for success.
- From Entry to Advancement: Retention, Progression, and Leadership: embedding retention strategies within WIL and beyond, and supporting career progression and leadership development.
- Inclusive Recruitment & Labour Market Alignment: connecting employer hiring practices with talent pathways and translating sector demand into structured entry points through WIL and direct hires.
Participants also discussed how ISET organizations, employers, sector councils, and post-secondary partners can work collaboratively to create more concrete talent pathway opportunities and transition entry points, like WIL, into sustained employment, with practical actions to improve entry, retention, and progression.