FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Indigenous Works celebrates 25 years advancing new strategies and partnerships for Indigenous employment and workplace inclusion
Signature national event, Inclusion Works ‘24, aims to support employers as they navigate an employment landscape which has grown in complexity in recent years
(September 5, 2024) – It began as a mandate in 1998 from the Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (RCAP), which sought to investigate the relationships and employment gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people and governments in Canada. The goal was to create a national Indigenous organization to engage the private, public, union, education and Indigenous sectors to create employment strategies and address the gaps between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous Works, now celebrating its 25th anniversary, was a unique opportunity to take the recommendations made by this report and bring to fruition the vision of creating new strategies and building meaningful partnerships with mainstream employers and Indigenous people.
“Today, Indigenous Works has evolved into a unique Indigenous workplace, employment and engagement leadership organization, rooted in the same 1998 mandate to improve the inclusion and engagement of Indigenous Peoples in the Canadian economy,” said Kelly Lendsay, Indigenous Works president and CEO. “It’s grown into this dynamic organization that helps companies adopt and nurture a competency-based framework to grow their knowledge, strategies and practices to improve their workplace inclusion performance outcomes and to become an employer of choice for Indigenous Peoples.”
Indigenous Works was one of the first national Indigenous organizations to receive ISO Certification in 2011, and in 2015 was a recipient of Colleges and Institutes of Canada’s Outstanding Partner Award. Almost 400 post-secondary graduates were brought to the very first Inclusion Works event for a life-changing leadership and recruitment experience with some of Canada’s top employers of choice. Indigenous Works continues to empower Indigenous youth to reach their human resource and career potential.
Over the years, Indigenous Works has garnered praise as an exemplary Indigenous not-for-profit business from the public and private sector for its quality standards, systems and stewardship of public and private projects. As a catalyst, Indigenous Works has helped create more than 1,000 partnerships in a range of sectors and with its partners—such as BC Hydro, BC Housing and Pacific Blue Cross, in the BC region, along with other regional and national partners, including Air Canada, Calian Group and Royal Bank of Canada—has helped generate more than 100,000 jobs.
In 2021, Indigenous Works launched Canada’s first Employer of Choice Certification Program. This new program builds on Indigenous Works’ Inclusion Continuum System, a seven-stage road map to benchmarking workplace inclusion strategies, practices and performance. Over 1,000 private and public sector employers use this system to diagnose the organizational competencies needed to strengthen their performance and results in Indigenous employment, workplace engagement and inclusion.
“To effectively build an Indigenous workforce and accelerate Indigenous employment, organizations must develop dedicated planning and execution strategies,” said Pat Baxter, board co-chair for Indigenous Works. “Our Inclusion Continuum is just one example of how we do this.”
Twenty-five years later, Inclusion Works ‘24, Indigenous Work’s signature event, is focused on advancing the current state of workplace inclusion, relationships and engagement between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people, businesses and communities. The main feature of this national event is building the management and organizational skills required to navigate an employment landscape which has grown in complexity. Participants will learn about these changes in Indigenous relations, including trends, the latest research and insights. Speakers at Inclusion Works ‘24 are specialists in a range of management topics and issues that span across public, private, Indigenous and education sectors.
“Our systems and models all flow from the work we have done with our clients over the years,” said Craig Hall, senior VP of strategy and innovation for Indigenous Works. “Innovative strategies have developed from the experiences of employers across the country. Our focus is the employment, DEI or ESG practitioners within medium and large companies that are seeking to build practical steps toward deeper engagements and reconciliation action plans.”
The Indigenous Works ‘24 theme Going Beyond the Checkmark underscores the importance of staying abreast of the changes in Indigenous relations and the Canadian labour market over the past few years. It also explains why companies should evolve their strategies and systems to align with these developments. Those who can get ahead of the curve are “going beyond the checkmark.”
The Indigenous population is the fastest-growing labour force in Canada. As businesses all over the country grapple with acute labour shortages, organizations that adopt inclusive hiring practices attract and retain more engaged and skilled employees, mitigating the debilitating effects of labour shortages on organizational growth and stability. Employers who want to develop deliberate, meaningful and purposeful strategies must look at their brand and how they prepare recruitment teams and engage with communities.
For more information about Indigenous Works, visit the website at iworks.org. To register for the upcoming Inclusion Works ‘24 event, which will take place October 8-10, 2024, or for more information, visit inclusionworks.ca.
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About Indigenous Works
Indigenous Works, formerly the Aboriginal Human Resource Council, is an Indigenous national social enterprise. It is ISO 9001 certified and a Certified Aboriginal Business with CCIB. The organization was founded as a not-for-profit national organization in 1998 as a recommendation from the 1996 Report of the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples, with a mandate to improve the inclusion and engagement of Indigenous people in the Canadian economy. Indigenous Works was incorporated in 1999 and in 2024 is celebrating its 25th anniversary.
About Inclusion Works ‘24
Inclusion Works began in 2009 and continues to bring together Indigenous Works’ 100+ Employer Partners and other organizations for in-depth learning programs. This management learning program is carefully crafted and designed, presenting dynamic speakers in presentations and workshops bringing fresh insights, cultural learning and innovations in workplace inclusion systems strategy. Inclusion Works ‘24 will be held October 8-10, 2024, at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre in Nanaimo, BC.
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Photo Captions:
InclusionWorks1.jpg – Kelly Lendsay, CEO and president of Indigenous Works, speaks at Inclusion Works '18 in Kelowna, BC. (Photo courtesy of Indigenous Works)
InclusionWorks2.jpg – Fancy dancers perform during the awards lunch at Inclusion Works '18 in Kelowna, BC. (Photo courtesy of Indigenous Works)
InclusionWorks3.jpg – Ken Bell (left), VP, strategic planning, Syncrude Canada Ltd., Pat Baxter, Indigenous Works board co-chair and Craig Hall, senior VP of strategy and innovation for Indigenous Works, at Inclusion Works '18 in Kelowna, BC. (Photo courtesy of Indigenous Works)