Serving Rural Communities

Although the population declines, a significant number of Canadians still live in rural and remote communities. Rural Canadians are essential to the country’s economy, primarily through agriculture and the natural resources industries.

Contributors to this issue of The Bulletin describe the career and employment challenges faced by all rural workers and specific client groups: people with disabilities, women and youth. But contributors also describe successful initiatives and transferrable strategies that overcome the challenges.

Joshua Flemming explores three thriving projects in Labrador and Sharon Ferriss reports on the impressive growth of Aboriginal-owned businesses in Canada, many of which are located in rural or remote communities. Thinking of moving to a small town? Geoff Peruniak lists ways a career practitioner coming from an urban setting will need to adapt. How about working remotely? The benefits of and requirements for working from home are explained in Paul Smith’s article.

The use of Internet technology for training is key to improving economic success in low population regions. Whether they are on the west coast, the east or somewhere in between, rural workers across the country are building their skills through distance learning, as many of these articles detail.

Indeed, career development practitioners in rural areas may find it challenging to upgrade their own expertise. The solution for that is contactpoint. Visit our event listing for extensive web-based training options and participate in our Career Developer email list or CERIC’s LinkedIn network to keep abreast of employment trends and issues.