Local 793’s commitment to providing more apprenticeship and training opportunities for Indigenous people continues.
Jim Jacobs, the Union’s Indigenous Relations Coordinator, attended the Aboriginal Apprenticeship Board (formerly the Aboriginal Apprenticeship Board of Ontario) annual conference in Niagara Falls along with St Catherines Business Rep Aaron Pede, where he joined a panel discussion on Indigenous Tradespeople Success Stories.
AAB is a not-for-profit organization with a mission to increase the number of First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people working in the trades through improved access and opportunity to apprenticeship and long-term gainful employment.
Brother Jacobs spoke about his own journey from growing up on the Six Nations Reservation near Brantford, his struggles in the trades and the life-changing experiences of becoming a Local 793 member working for signatory employer A6N, including his work as an organizer and in Indigenous outreach.
Local 793 provides an Indigenous pre-apprenticeship program through the Operating Engineers Training Institute of Ontario (OETIO). Visit oetio.com for more information.
