Thanks for that.
It's actually been one of the keystone programs of our organization in the last six years to try to enhance the potential for aboriginal people in the forest sector workforce.
The manufacturing sector has been an interesting component that we've been really challenged by, since traditionally the manufacturing sector has held onto great jobs to offer the community, with a line-up of very skilled workers and people ready to take those jobs. It is an environment where very few aboriginal people are employed, so there is no cross-cultural awareness and programming within those companies and probably a negative historical relationship. There's a problem with a negative perception in our community of the forest sector because of the lack of involvement and the lack of benefit over the years. It's a message to our youth that it's not really a place to look for employment.
We're trying to change those kinds of cultural barriers. I think we need to see some work done to help transition communities that have been in an unhealthy condition due to the sad history of residential schools and the education programs that affected our people. We know we're in an unhealthy condition in that environment, and there are programs that try to support the transition into that workforce. Probably the biggest thing is having the sector actually embrace that concept and invite those jobs into their organizations, which we are getting some traction with.
In the last 10 or 15 years, there haven't been very many jobs to fill. The forest sector has maintained a very skilled workforce that's growing older. In B.C. in particular, it's actually been diminishing, not growing, so there hasn't been a need for workers. It's only now that we're seeing a high demand, and there's a generational gap in skilled workers. We're rushing. That's why we call it an urgent opportunity with our large youth demographic to try to prepare those people for that opportunity and not miss it while we turn over that large segment of the workforce.