Senior Specialist, Program Marketing, Marketing and Communications (Bilingual)
August 21, 2026Military 2 Civilian Employment: A Career Practitioners guide
August 27, 2026FREE LIVE WEBINAR SERIES
LIVE WEBINAR
Monday, October 19 & 26, 2026 – 12:00 to 1:00 pm ET
- Language
This webinar is presented in English - Accessibility
This webinar offers AI-generated live captions available in multiple languages
📢 Important Update: New Registration Process. Learn more.
Overview of the webinar series
As Canada’s labour market evolves, advancing economic reconciliation requires a structural shift from transactional job matching to relational, strengths-based employment pathways that carry Indigenous talent from first application through to senior leadership. Grounded in the 2026 Weaving the Future joint forum between Indigenous Skills and Employment Training (ISET) programs and National Sector Councils, this free two-part series confronts the systemic barriers that surface at both ends of the employment lifecycle: rigid, standardized recruitment that screens out non-linear career paths, and thin onboarding, cultural isolation and self-advocacy-dependent promotion that drive attrition after the hire.
Across both sessions, participants will have the opportunity to hear from a diverse group of experts and panellists exploring the role that different actors across the career-development ecosystem can play in advancing culturally safe and responsive workforce practices – from frontline career development practitioners and employers, to post-secondary institutions through their Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) programs, ISET offices and community-based organizations.
The series will also bring attention to and honour the diverse communities and places where Indigenous learners live, learn and work, including remote, hybrid and community-based pathways.
Participants will move from cultural awareness toward measurable, trauma-informed institutional accountability, leaving with a practical, human-first blueprint for culturally safe workforce practices.
Why career professionals should attend
This series equips career development professionals (CDPs) to advance the discussion on why concrete frameworks are needed to redesign hiring, retention and advancement so Indigenous candidates are fairly assessed, successfully placed and supported to lead. CDPs will learn to coach employers to pinpoint where recruitment breaks down and to broker the partnerships that make placements and promotions stick.
Attendees will also gain strategies for the geographic realities their clients face: supporting remote and hybrid roles so people can stay connected to vital community supports, championing community-delivered “earn while you learn” models designed in First Nations by First Nations, and easing transitions for rural and small-community learners entering complex urban institutions. Finally, practitioners will be able to identify low-cost, systemic policy changes that build culturally safe workplaces without constant new funding — strengthening the full employment lifecycle where culturally responsive practice matters most.
Sessions
Webinar #1: Weaving the Future: Culturally Responsive Recruitment and Hiring for Indigenous Talent
Monday, October 19 – 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm ET (check your time zone)
- Deconstruct systemic barriers in traditional corporate recruitment pipelines that inadvertently exclude Indigenous candidates with non-linear career paths
- Implement values-based, accessible interview alternatives, such as pre-interview dialogue, community-based conversations and early question-sharing
- Formulate structured partnership mechanisms (like MOUs) that clearly delineate roles between ISET offices, post-secondary institutions, community agencies, sector councils and employers including WIL placements that connect Indigenous learners to employers
- Design recruitment and placement pathways that support Indigenous jobseekers whether they remain in their home communities or transition into large urban institutions, including community-delivered “earn while you learn” models
- Identify low-cost, systemic changes to institutional policies and practices that create culturally safe spaces without requiring ongoing new funding
Moderator: Darian Kovacs. Panellists: Misty Waldorf and Kelly Johnson
Webinar #2: Beyond the Hire: Sustaining Indigenous Success Through Culturally Safe Retention, WIL and Advancement Pathways
Monday, October 26 – 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm ET (check your time zone)
- Deconstruct the structural flaws of disjointed or brief onboarding models that fail to establish long-term trust and belonging for Indigenous hires
- Co-design high-impact Work-Integrated Learning (WIL) frameworks with post-secondary institutions, community agencies and employers that embed job shadowing, apprenticeships and paid mentorship into standard career progression
- Implement trauma-informed supervision, mental-health and wellness supports, and anti-racism accountability mechanisms across an employer’s full lifecycle
- Design retention and advancement pathways that support Indigenous employees whether they remain in their home communities through remote and hybrid roles or transition into large urban institutions
- Coordinate flexible, regionally responsive funding streams and low-cost systemic policy changes to safely cover localized retention barriers like tools, personal protective equipment (PPE), transportation and wraparound care
Moderator: Darian Kovacs. Panellists: Misty Waldorf and Lisa Pollio
Webinars are hosted on Zoom from our new CERIC Learning Hub. Learn about it in our FAQ.
📢 Important Update: New Registration Process
We’re excited to announce that Certificates of Completion are now available not only to participants attending live webinars but also to those who watch the recorded webinars they missed.
Meet the moderator and panellists
Darian Kovacs is the Indigenous founder of Jelly Academy, a leading digital skills training provider. With over 15 years of experience in education and skill training, Darian is a passionate advocate for reducing barriers to entry in the modern workforce. Darian brings a unique perspective on how digital literacy and Indigenous-led training models can intersect to drive national economic success.
Kelly Johnson is a Program Manager for Careers in Energy, a division of Energy Safety Canada. Before joining Careers in Energy, she spent 10 years working in the Workforce Strategies department with the Government of Alberta. Kelly holds a degree in Business Administration from Bishop’s University and brings over 20 years of experience in program management, workforce development, and industry collaboration. Kelly lives in Calgary with her husband, Mike, and their three children. As a family they enjoy exploring Mexico’s Baja Peninsula.
Lisa Pollio has worked over 20 years in the energy sector, gaining valuable field experience in health and safety, collaborating with various teams at Energy Safety Canada. Since joining the Careers in Energy team in 2018, Lisa has enthusiastically shared her knowledge of opportunities in both traditional and emerging energy technologies. She brings a comprehensive expertise that covers many facets of the industry. Lisa’s credentials include a Bachelor of Science and the Canadian Registered Safety Professional (CRSP) designation.
Misty Waldorf is a proud Métis woman, wife, and mother of three teenagers, and she is deeply committed to supporting and strengthening Métis communities across British Columbia. As a Regional Program Manager with Métis Nation BC, Misty leads Skills Training, Employment and Post-Secondary programming, working alongside Métis Chartered Communities, partners, and stakeholders to help create pathways to education, training, and meaningful employment. Misty is passionate about leadership, mentorship, and creating opportunities for others to succeed. She also serve as Chair of the Ownership Linkage Committee for Northern Lights College Board of Governors and Vice Chair its Council for Indigenous Innovation. She is proud to contribute, learn, and lead with purpose.
Shaily Allison is the Marketing and Engagement Manager at BuildForce Canada, where she leads initiatives that connect workforce development, industry engagement, digital innovation, and labour market information. She is passionate about translating research and insight into practical solutions that help employers, workers, and industry partners navigate workforce challenges. Through collaboration with organizations across Canada’s construction sector, Shaily helps advance initiatives that strengthen workforce capacity, foster innovation, and support more inclusive pathways into the industry. Her background in digital strategy, marketing, communications, and product development enables her to bring a strategic, future-focused perspective to workforce development and industry engagement.