More Aboriginal workers needed in workforce, chamber says

The Canadian business community is once againcalling attention to a looming skills shortage in this country, and its pushing for more education and training opportunities to help Aboriginal peopleparticipate more fully in the workforce.

In a new report, the Canadian Chamber of Commerce highlights the gap in educational outcomes between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal students.

The director of parliamentary affairs with the chamber said governments have introduced many training programs over the years, but they need to be more consistent.

If the federal government could make decisions, stick with the decisions, not change parameters and dollars and amounts that could go a long way in having a lot more success in Aboriginal training programs, Susanna Cluff-Clyburne said.

We found that participation of Aboriginal peoples in the workforce is one of the priority areas our members identified to being critical to addressing their skills barrier to being competitive.

The federal government introduced the first draft of its First Nations Education Act last month, aimed at reforming on-reserve education and improving graduation rates.

But many Aboriginal leaders have panned the proposal because of concerns over control of what is taught.

The legislation also doesn't lay out how the reformed system will be funded.