Indigenous youth from across northern Ontario and as far away as Saskatchewan are getting a firsthand look at careers in science, technology, engineering, and trades (STEM) this week as part of a hands-on learning camp in Greater Sudbury, Ont. The three-day visit to Sudbury is a core component of the Outland Youth Employment Program. The six-week paid summer internship originally kicked off in Timmins before bringing the participants south. “The youth are so excited because some of them, it’s their first time being in a major city, being in a dorm, having the responsibilities of a room key, having roommates,” said Laira Ferns, a supervisor with the program. “But they’ve been super engaged in all the programming.” The group of 21 high school students, ages 16 to 18, represents nine different Indigenous communities – including Moose Cree, Temiskaming, Nipissing and Kashechewan First Nations. On Wednesday, students gathered on the campus of Laurentian University, where they toured research facilities and got an up-close look at an electric vehicle – a first for several participants. “It’s really cool because it’s very revolutionary. It’s the future,” said Charisma McComb, a student from Moosonee. “That’s really good because climate change and global warming are happening.” McComb, who just graduated from high school, said she’s been enjoying the program. “It’s been really fun. I’ve made a handful of friends,” she said. “I feel more outgoing now. I’ve talked to more and more people and been to a bunch of places. So it’s a good experience.” The program aims to give young people early exposure to diverse fields within the natural resources, technology, and environmental sectors – industries currently facing significant workforce shortages. “The mining industry right now is in need of new talent to join in different roles, “said Nicole Tardif, associate director of the Goodman School of Mines. “It’s not just engineering and geology, but there’s a lot of roles in environment, business, health and safety, trades, and social license. The goal is to expose as many youths as possible to these different career possibilities so that we help fill that talent gap in the industry.” Sandeep Sharma, the content lead with the school of mines, said the program helps students navigate a potential career in STEM. “We have three Cs which we are targeting.,” he said. “The first C is curiosity and the youth to develop curiosity. The second is to instill confidence towards the future workforce. And the third thing is to choose their career pathways across different STEM sectors.” Ferns said the program equips students with various qualifications. “This program is something that I wish was available to me when I was younger,” she said. “The amount of opportunities they can, can access from it. They get ten certifications, sometimes even more. They can get two high school co-op credits. And yeah, meeting partners here. Just a huge step in the door for them.” Tessah Hokaiaw, 17, from Timmins, who is heading into grade 12 in the fall, said the program has been a valuable experience. “I actually love it,” he said. “It’s a nice experience to meet new people and learn new things.” For Tyler Wesley, a student from Kashechewan First Nation, hasn’t been able to return to his home community since an evacuation order was issued in January. Wesley is currently living in Timmins and is working for Creemergency. “It’s been stressful. I’ve been missing home,” he said. “I know some people has been missing home tours and those new same concession people going to go start going home now in August.” Wesley said he’s been enjoying the STEM program and wants to get into the forestry sector. “It’s great. I’ve learned about the history of mining and you just get to learn about so much cool stuff,” he said. The students will also tour the facilities at industrial equipment manufacturer Epiroc, followed by an afternoon exploring hands-on trades programs at Cambrian College. The group will wrap up the Sudbury portion of their internship on Friday.
