There may soon be more Aboriginal youth working in the resource sector thanks to a six-week summer program in northwest Saskatchewan.
The Saskatchewan Resource Ranger Program educates youth between the ages of 16 to 18 in the natural resource sector.
The program uses a hands-on approach in teaching youth about the environment.
North West Communities Wood Products CEO John Melke says they want Aboriginal youth to realize their full potential and the opportunities that are available to them.
“In many of these industries that are in northern Saskatchewan, there are workers – and we all need workers – but there are also opportunities to become managers of the resource,” he says. “And if we don’t show them how they can get to that point of being a manager, then they don’t realize there’s that opportunity.”
Fourteen youth from northwest communities in Saskatchewan will explore different fields of study including forestry, cultural awareness and traditional ecological knowledge.
North West Communities Wood Products is owned by a number of Métis communities in northwest Saskatchewan.