A new program at the College of New Caledonia (CNC) will help entrepreneurial Indigenous youth learn how to take their business ideas from concept to reality.
The program is called LaKles Way-hut: Business Start-Up for Indigenous Youth and it will provide students with 12 weeks of training in entrepreneurship.
It will cover skills for success, occupational and life skills, digital marketing, as well as cultural awareness to help students gain the knowledge and confidence to start a business or further their education.
The program is funded through the Government of Canada-British Columbia Workforce Development Agreement.
“Training and education ensure Indigenous youth have the necessary skills to overcome obstacles that come with starting any company or business venture and forge their own path,” said Anne Kang, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training.
“Programs like the LaKles Way-hut support Indigenous youth to turn their business ideas into realities that provide a multitude of benefits for their communities and British Columbia.”
LaKles Way-hut isn’t a typical business program.
Rather, it’s a general knowledge program that curriculum developer Ray Gerow said equips students with a good grounding in what it’s like to be an entrepreneur.
Gerow built his first business venture mowing lawns at the age of 10 and has spent decades running his own businesses and developing Indigenous focused business programs across British Columbia.
“Indigenous people have always been entrepreneurial,” he said. “It’s who we are and how we survived in society. This program is about making Indigenous youth understand that the entrepreneurial drive exists within them as well.”
LaKles Way-hut is Chinook for “grease trail,” a complex system of trails Aboriginal groups used for trading items such as eulachan grease. Chinook was the trading language used on the Northwest Coast well into the 20th century.
LaKles Way-hut: Business Start-Up for Indigenous Youth runs from Jan. 17 to March 31, 2022. It is a blended online approach with face-to-face elements taught on campus in Burns Lake, Fort St.James, Vanderhoof, Mackenzie, and Prince George.
The free program is open to eligible youth aged 15 to 29 with successful candidates receiving a living allowance.
“We know there are talented Indigenous youth in the region CNC serves who aspire to one day start their own business,” said CNC President Dr. Dennis Johnson.
“Like life, the business world is one of learning and adapting. Even if a student doesn’t go on to start their own business, this program will help gain knowledge and skills that will serve them throughout life.”
