Aboriginal Employment Resource Committee - Aboriginal Recruitment Coordination Office

Aboriginal Recruitment Coordination Office

The mission of ARCO is "to support the sharing of knowledge, skills, attitudes and values regarding the recruitment and retention of quality health and social service human resources to First Nations and Aboriginal Communities in Ontario"

Aboriginal Recruitment Coordination Office

1000 Chippewa Road,
Thunder Bay, Ontario, P7J 1H6
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Phone: (807) 624-2110 or 1- 800-346-9318
Fax: (807) 623-0644
Email: info@arco.ca
Website: www.arco.on.ca

Long-term Vision

The long-term vision of ARCO is to ensure that there are enough qualified Aboriginal health and social service employees to meet the human resource needs of Aboriginal communities, organizations and associations.

Mission Statement

Goals/Purpose

ARCO supports First Nations and Aboriginal organizations in Ontario with the recruitment, hiring and retention of quality health and social service employees. These health and social service workers span a variety of fields and types of professions, such as physicians, nurses, traditional healers, mental health workers, social workers and more.

Objectives

To effectively market and communicate ARCO’s programs and services.

To increase the number of health and social service individuals and Aboriginal organizations utilizing ARCO’s services.
To build and maintain linkages with relevant agencies, organizations, First Nations and Aboriginal communities pertaining to health and social services.

To enhance the recruitment efforts of First Nations and Aboriginal organizations to hire qualified health and social service personnel.

To promote and maintain an Employment Registry Database (ERD).
To actively recruit and social services students, graduates and experienced workers.
To coordinate training workshops for First Nation and Aboriginal communities.

To enhance the retention efforts of First Nations and Aboriginal organizations to hire quality health and social service personnel.

To identify retention issues.
To develop and provide health and social service human information and retention tools to assist with management issues.
To deliver human resource information and retention tools to assist First Nation and Aboriginal organizations with the management of their health and their social services provided.

Services

Employment Registry Database

Health and social service employees wanting to work within an Aboriginal community or organization can register in the ARCO’s database. First Nations and Aboriginal organizations can obtain a listing of potential job candidates for specific positions. First Nations and Aboriginal organizations can post jobs with ARCO and individuals can call to learn of employment opportunities.

Consultation Services

ARCO consults with First Nations and Aboriginal organizations wanting to establish or enhance their recruitment and retention practices. ARCO can provide materials such as examples of job descriptions for various health and social service positions, interview guidelines and questions, reference check procedures, orientation and retention strategies, etc. ARCO also has a Resource Library with books and reference materials on all aspects of hiring, recruitment and retention.

Promotion of Aboriginal Health and Social Service Careers

ARCO promotes First Nations and Aboriginal communities/organizations that provide health and social services to graduating classes of post-secondary health and social service education programs. ARCO encourages graduating students to seek employment within First Nations and Aboriginal communities/organizations.

Delivery of Indian and Inuit Health Careers Program (IIHCP)

ARCO administers the Indian and Inuit Health Careers Program (IIHCP) funded through First Nations and Inuit Health Branch (FNIHB). The goal of the IIHCP is to encourage Aboriginal youth to consider health and social service careers as a viable option.

Funding is available through the SUMMER STUDENT EMPLOYMENT PROGRAM (SSEP) for Aboriginal students enrolled in health and social service programs for a maximum of 16 weeks. Deadline date to apply is March 1 of each year.

Funding is available through the COMMUNITY BASED PROGRAMS to Aboriginal communities/organizations and First Nations for health career related activities such as community health fairs, tours of health facilities, etc. to a maximum of $5,000. Deadline date to apply is March 1 of each year.

Funding is also available through the ROLE PROGRAM to financially assist Aboriginal communities/organizations and First Nations to utilize the services of a role to promote health and social services careers to Aboriginal youth to a possible maximum of $3,000. Deadline date to apply is ongoing however all applicants must be received by the end of December.

The IIHCP also provides support and consultation on health career opportunities, health career planning, and information on post-secondary institutions that provide health and social service programs (through the development of the Health Career Booklet) and scholarships and bursaries available to Aboriginal students.

RESEARCH

ARCO gathers information on Aboriginal health and social service recruitment, training and retention issues and/or initiatives across Ontario. ARCO has conducted some initial research across Ontario to determine the management and administration needs of First Nations and Aboriginal communities in Ontario and to provide guidance and direction for ARCO to meet these training and professional development needs. As a result of this research, ARCO developed a Recruitment and Retention Guide for First Nations and Aboriginal organizations and delivered two pilot training programs based upon the information contained in the manual. The manual is in the final stage of completion and is available in draft form now.

FRONT LINE WORKERS

ARCO researches and distributes information on opportunities ranging from training and professional development, learning about traditional healing, to barriers in retention of front line workers. ARCO researches related issues which adversely affect retention (eg. Liability issues, salary grid issues, need for increased training, etc.).

CLIENTELE

All Aboriginal communities in Ontario (urban, off-reserve, and First Nations)
Aboriginal health and social service organizations.
Programs and services developed through the Aboriginal Healing and Wellness Strategy.
Major Aboriginal political and social service organizations.
Local Treaty Councils with health and social service programs.
Non-Aboriginal health and social service organizations wanting to use the service to locate health employees with experience in Aboriginal health and social services.
Health and social service workers/graduates seeking employment in First Nation and Aboriginal communities and organizations.