In Canada, unemployment rates among visible minority groups and youth ages 15-24 continue to be some of the hardest hit during the COVID-19 pandemic - the unemployment rate for Indigenous people is also 7.8 percentage points above the non-Indigenous rate. More than 350,000 young Indigenous people will come of employment age in less than six years, and they could boost the country’s economy by $27.7 billion per year if they are given the right employment supports, according to a report from the Canadian Council of Aboriginal Business (CCAB) and the Diversity Institute at Ryerson University.

"COVID 19 has exacerbated existing disparities in the employment and skills ecosystem and Indigenous communities are among the hardest hit which lack much of the essential infrastructure to respond – including educational supports, broadband infrastructure and the social and economic resources to adapt," says Andrew Avgerinos, research associate at the Canadian Council of Aboriginal Business.

In response, several leading non-profits in Canada have partnered with Google as part of an ambitious reskilling program.

Google Canada announced a $600,000 commitment to provide free digital skills training to Indigenous job seekers across Canada. The support includes a $500,000 Google.org grant towards ComIT's Recoding Futures IT training program, an additional $100,000 in funding to support Indspire with their education and job training programs and an allocation of Google Career Certificate scholarships for Indigenous job seekers. Today's support is in addition to an initial  $2 million commitment made by Google Canada in May of 2021 to reskill job seekers for new careers in technology in under six months, announced earlier this year.

Research shows there's a significant skills and education gap between Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations in Canada, particularly when it comes to connectivity, graduation rates and digital literacy. The economic impact of the pandemic has increased this divide, disproportionately impacting the employment rates of Indigenous populations. As Canada rebuilds its economy post COVID-19, Google Canada, ComIT and Indspire will work toward a common goal of bridging this longstanding gap, increase free access to digital skills education, and support economic growth within Indigenous communities.

"The social and economic hardships felt by many during this pandemic have brought some heavy truths to the surface and we now have an opportunity to build back a more inclusive and resilient economy," says Sabrina Geremia, VP & Country Manager, Google Canada. "We're proud to support ComIT and Indspire to deepen our commitment in digital skills training in high demand fields, create opportunities for Indigenous job seekers entering the tech workforce and increase Indigenous representation in our technology workforce."

ComIT's Recoding Futures program was created last year with the support of Google.org to provide IT training to Indigenous learners across Canada. The program runs virtually and covers topics like Design Thinking, HTML, CSS, Javascript .NET, Python, React and Node. To help complete the transition from learning to employment, ComIT offers courses on resume building, interview skills training, and other soft skill development opportunities to help with the transition from learning to employment.

"We're excited by the renewed support from Google.org to bring free digital skills training to Indigenous students across Canada," said Pablo Listingart, Executive Director, ComIT. "In the first year of the Recoding Futures program, we saw overwhelming interest, with over 800 applicants, double than what we expected. We look forward to expanding this program in 2022 and accommodating as many applicants as possible."

Google Canada is also committing $100,000 to Indspire to support their existing job training programs, along with an allocation of dedicated Google Career Certificate scholarships for Indigenous job seekers. The scholarships can be used towards Google Career Certificate courses, which are delivered through NPower Canada and equips learners with theoretical and practical knowledge to be successful in an entry-level technology job.

"Indspire is pleased to continue and expand this important initiative with support from Google Canada, and in partnership with NPower Canada and ComIT," said Mike DeGagné, President & CEO of Indspire. "The first year of the program demonstrated that Indigenous youth are keen to pursue this kind of training. Not only will it benefit them on an individual level, it will also ensure that their communities as a whole will benefit from their newfound knowledge, ensuring that Indigenous communities across the country will be better able to participate in the digital skills-based economy."

"In 2021, we enrolled 886 young adults into Google's IT Support Certificate scholarship program, allowing them to obtain the skills necessary to start their careers and participate in Canada's digital economy," said Julia Blackburn, CEO, NPower Canada. "As we look ahead to 2022 and beyond, this additional support from Google and partnership with Indspire reaffirms NPower Canada's commitment to inclusion and increased representation of Indigenous peoples in the tech workforce across Canada."

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