Indigenous Partnerships

We aim to provide stable, long-term employment and our goal is to employ a workforce to maximize the number of Indigenous employees. At some projects, this number can be as high as 70 per cent. Hiring locally allows us to benefit from local knowledge, while building a community’s economic opportunities.

Education is one of the most lasting benefits that we can offer. That’s why we begin by assessing each community’s current level of education and training, evaluating existing government programs and connecting them with our training partners. And ATCO’s Indigenous Education Awards Program provides bursaries and scholarships up to $1500 to students in Indigenous communities.

On-the-job training for employees and contractors gives us another way of addressing a community’s skills and training needs. ATCO provides professional-level kitchen skills and housekeeping skills programs to Indigenous students as a first step toward employment in one of our lodges. We've also offered management training programs for high potential participants.

We have genuine relationships with many Indigenous groups, where we listen and learn to truly understand their unique perspectives. Purposeful engagement with includes discussions about projects that may impact them, exploring how we can best meet their needs and developing unique approaches to partnership and collaboration.

Our operations need local vendors and subcontractors to supply a variety of goods and services — a great opportunity for local Indigenous businesses. Subcontracting and suppliers can include jobs like earth works, sourcing equipment and supplies, trucking and hauling, and site services like laundry services, commissary and recycling.

In order to facilitate opportunities and reduce barriers to businesses during the procurement process, we have registered as an Aboriginal Procurement Champion with the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business (CCAB). We also hold information sessions for Indigenous businesses.