Indigenous Youth Explore and Train for Forestry Careers
In 2021, West Fraser’s North Central Woodlands (NCW) Division based in High Prairie and Slave Lake, Alberta, partnered with Kee Tas Kee Now Sawmills Ltd. (KSL) to create the Indigenous Forestry Training Program.
The eight-week Indigenous Forestry Training Program has been offered to Indigenous students for the past three years, with the most recent group of students completing the program this June. Based on the success of the program to date, West Fraser hopes to continue to offer it for another three years.
Meaningful benefit for all involved
Available to members of Kee Tas Kee Now Tribal Council Nations, the Indigenous Forestry Training Program exposed Indigenous students to many aspects of forest management and provided hands-on field training. Of the eight-week program, students spent six weeks receiving instruction and two weeks doing layout before a graduation ceremony. By the end of the program, students understood the cycle of planning, harvesting and reforestation, and could contribute to fieldwork.
“Programs such as the Indigenous Forestry Training Program are a great opportunity to further build upon our relationships with Indigenous communities in the area – and provide a meaningful benefit to the Indigenous youth who participate, to their communities and to West Fraser through local capacity-building for the workforce of tomorrow.”
Tracey Courser, Woodlands Manager
A forestry community collaboration
West Fraser funded the program through the Forest Resource Improvement Association of Alberta and provided some of the instructors. KSL recruited students and hosted the program at the Mihkowapikwaniy Cultural Camp in Peace River, Alberta.
Instructors from the forestry program at the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology and researchers from the Centre for Boreal Research also shared their knowledge.
Members of the NCW staff attended the program sessions weekly to provide an industry perspective, and NCW contractors provided instruction and demonstrations of their work. Staff and contractor participation was important to help students understand who works in the industry and who West Fraser is. This also helped students to make professional connections.
The program yields promising results
The program also focused on developing professional skills to help students thrive in the workplace, regardless of their future career paths. Students worked on developing habits that help lead to success, including punctuality, teamwork, coming prepared and being engaged. They also benefited from career-planning mentorship and learning about different employment opportunities.
Over the three years, 26 students have graduated from the program. Today, a number of graduates are employed in the industry, either working for KSL or subcontracted to NCW. For this year’s eleven graduates, the program has provided valuable professional training experience and a resume-building opportunity.
“We are proud of the success of the Indigenous Forestry Training Program, thanks to the hard work of everyone who contributed, including the students. We hope to continue to offer this program and see it as a model that can be expanded to other NCW communities and West Fraser operating areas,” said Jed Begin, General Manager, Slave Lake Veneer.
