A preview of ManitobaAboriginalHealthCareers.ca, to launch on October 30. (SCREENSHOT)
A new website launching next week is designed to help increase the number of First Nation and aboriginal people in Manitoba choosing health careers.
ManitobaAboriginalHealthCareers.ca is the first of its kind initiative in Canada and will be unveiled in Winnipeg on October 30.
“The aboriginal population in rural and northern Manitoba is significant. We know that they are an important part of our current and future workforce,” said Wayne Heide, Manitoba’s Office of Rural and Northern Health administrative director. “We need to ensure they are equally represented in the workforce in the health care sector. (The website) was created with that goal in mind.”
Heide says it’s a unique web portal designed to bring awareness to all First Nations and aboriginal people in Manitoba, regardless of age, current education or location, that a career in health is attainable and rewarding.
The promotional campaign for the project includes videos and support materials, interactive posters with QR codes, and profiles of 21 Manitoba aboriginal role models of all ages currently working in the health care sector. The material will be distributed to First Nation schools and communities throughout the province.
Funding for the $290,000 project was made available through the Aboriginal Health Human Resources Initiative for the 2013/14 fiscal year. The contract for the web portal also includes three years of maintenance and updating to ensure the website will remain current over the medium term.
