Forest industry joins CCFM on Skills Award for Aboriginal Youth

 

The Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC), Ottawa, Ont., Canada, has joined the Canadian Council of Forest Ministers (CCFM) to open up nominations for two Skills Awards for Aboriginal Youth as part of an effort to encourage more Aboriginal workers to consider careers in the forest sector.

FPAC started handing out an annual skills award to a young Aboriginal person in 2012. In 2015, thanks to a new partnership with the CCFM, two awards were handed out and that will continue this year. 

The two awards will honor First Nations, Métis, or Inuit individuals with strong academic standing who are committed to their field of study and to a job in the forest sector. The awards, each worth $2,500, are targeted at youth between the ages of 18 and 30 who are enrolled in a post-secondary education program.

"The forest products industry has been working with Aboriginal communities as our neighbors and partners for many years, and we intend to work even more closely in the coming years," said Derek Nighbor, CEO of FPAC. "I think we all recognize the importance of our sector and our forests to the environment and to our communities." 

The Honorable Scott Kent, CCFM chair and Yukon minister of energy, mines, and resources, noted that "the CCFM is proud to partner once again with FPAC to present the Skills Awards for Aboriginal youth." 

Nominations for the annual Skills Awards for Aboriginal Youth will be open until September 2. The two awards will be handed out at the Cando National Conference on October 3-5 in Whitehorse.

 

Information on the criteria and how to apply is available online.

 

FPAC provides a voice for Canada's wood, pulp, and paper producers nationally and internationally in government, trade, and environmental affairs. The $65-billion-a-year forest products industry represents 2% of Canada's GDP and is one of Canada's largest employers operating in hundreds of communities and providing 230,000 direct jobs across the country.