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Toronto, Ontario – Skills Ontario is delighted to announce a new annual $1,000 bursary for First Nations, Métis, and Inuit (FNMI) students in Ontario. Each year, a FNMI student who participates in the Skills Ontario Competition and pursues an engineering or applied science technology program at an Ontario college will be selected for the award.
The goal of the new “Skills Ontario and Kiani Foundation First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Award” is to encourage and support more FNMI students to pursue a career in technology, advancing the growth and diversity in the technology sector.
“Thanks to this initiative worthy students will be given the support they need to advance their education in the engineering technology field and pursue their dreams,” said Farsad Kiani, C.E.T.
“We’re excited to be a part of making Ontario a more inclusive province that provides widespread opportunities to talented individuals,” said David Tsang A.Sc.T., chair of the Carole and George Fletcher Foundation.
The Skills Ontario and Kiani Foundation First Nations, Métis, and Inuit Award is just one example of the strong collaboration between private and public sectors needed to address the looming skills gap, workplace diversity in technology, and the overall strength of Ontario’s economic future. “Encouraging youth, including First Nations, Métis, and Inuit youth, to pursue careers in technology is a key, strategic mission of Skills Ontario. The ongoing financial support we will now receive from these two Foundations provides us with a new way to positively impact the career choices of young First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people in Ontario,” said Ray Lavender, chair of the Skills Ontario Board of Directors.
About Skills Ontario
Skills Ontario is building Ontario’s skilled trades and technologies workforce. We enable and empower all youth, including women and First Nations, Métis, and Inuit youth, to consider a career in the skilled trades and technologies. Engagement with students, teachers, parents, volunteers, employers and mentors ensure our programs connect education, experience, and employment. We deliver in-school presentations across Ontario, host Canada’s largest skills competition, run summer camps for skills development and connect students to employers. We are focused on growth sectors such as construction and infrastructure, technology innovation, and hospitality services.
Media Contact
Anne Ramsay, Manager of Communications
519-749-9899 ext. 230 | aramsay@skillsontario.com
