Yukon First Nations Wildfire and the Government of Yukon has launched the Warrior Program that aims to provide First Nations youth with the skills and experience they need to reach their goals and enter the workforce.
The Yukon government will be investing $300,000 in the program to create a new curriculum that will support 10 youth aged 16 to 30 in building new skills and experience through mentorship and training guided by First Nation Leaders and First Nations Wildfire firefighters.
Participants will learn an array of essential skills such as first aid, computer skills and interview techniques. Through a powerful mixture of mentorship and hands-on learning in, that incorporates the knowing, being and doing of Yukon First Nations, participants will gain new skills and knowledge that will help them in their future careers.
The Warrior program will provide First Nation youth in the Yukon with an opportunity to learn new skills, gain mentorship and advance future employment opportunities. I’m pleased our government is providing support for Yukon First Nations Wildfire to support First Nations youth on their education and career paths.
Minister of Education Jeanie McLean
It is critical that we provide Indigenous youth with the tools, experiences and skills they need to seek meaningful employment that will help them advance in their careers. Preparing Yukoners to enter the workforce is an important part of addressing the labour shortage in our territory and I am looking forward to seeing how the Warrior Program supports First Nation youth as they enter the Yukon’s workforce.
Minister of Economic Development Ranj Pillai
Yukon First Nations Wildfire and our team are proud to be leading the development and delivery of the Warrior Program, a program we have designed to help bridge the gap between First Nations youth and industry. Our lives are forever impacted by the decisions we make and the path we choose as young adults. All First Nations youth deserve to be given the opportunity to choose a good path and have positive role models to look up to. Now more than ever it is critical to create opportunities for First Nations Youth to become confident in their abilities to achieve any goal they set out for themselves. It is our hope that the Warrior Program creates an avenue for First Nations youth to achieve these goals, have a lasting impact on their well-being and give them the tools to be role models for First Nations communities throughout the Yukon and its future generations.
Yukon First Nation Wildfire Limited Partnership Chair Fred Koe
- Ten youth have been selected to participate in the pilot program.
- Labour Market Development and the Building UP program, which provides funding to the Warrior Program, will be transferring from the Department of Education to Economic Development as of April 1, 2022.
