Our Approach
Enhancing preparedness for successful employment is a series of steps, not a one-time event. As such, Makigiaqta will strive to ensure that Nunavut Inuit have access to a full spectrum of high-quality, Inuit-specific learning and employment programs across the lifespan.
Learning across the lifespan supports the journey of successful employment. It includes:
- learning in the early years;
- the learning gained in families and communities throughout our lives;
- success in basic education (K-12), vocational programs, and post-secondary programs; and,
- continuous learning throughout our adult years, including workplace-based learning, that enables us to anticipate and adapt to changing conditions in the labour market and progress in our careers.
A full spectrum of learning supports for Nunavut Inuit includes those rooted in Inuit culture as well as those needed for the wage-based economy. Makigiaqta will invest in programs that reinforce Inuktut and Inuit culture and learning traditions.
Makigiaqta will also take into account projected labour market needs and strive to invest in programs that connect individuals with opportunities for employment that are aligned with each individual’s needs and goals.
Nunavut has a diverse network of organizations that support learning and employment, including community, private and non-profit organizations, as well as governments and government agencies. There are also many dedicated individuals who pass on essential skills and knowledge to the next generation through informal mentorship and traditional learning relationships in families and communities.
For the most part, Makigiaqta does not intend to deliver services directly, but will provide coordinated engagement, funding, and practical support in a variety of ways to this diverse network, with the goals of enhancing services and supporting positive developments in this network that will long outlast Makigiaqta.
Annual and multi-year grants and contributions programs, which are:
- Targeted at community-based organizations and/or the private sector
- Designed to achieve specific outcomes linked with Makigiaqta’s Strategic Priorities
- Complemented by project planning and project management support; and,
- Guided by rigorous performance monitoring and evaluation.
Co-investment agreements with major service providers, such as governments and Inuit organizations, which are:
- Informed by collaborative planning processes with relevant stakeholders;
- Designed to achieve specific outcomes linked with Makigiaqta’s Strategic Priorities;
- Complemented by project planning and project management support; and,
- Guided by rigorous performance monitoring and evaluation.
Open and invitational requests for proposals
- Require them to target specific outcomes associated with Makigiaqta’s Strategic Priorities.
Research and knowledge promotion activities, including:
- commissioned reports,
- communications initiatives, and
- conferences.
Practical support to partners, including:
- mentorship,
- information and contacts,
- project planning support,
- troubleshooting, and
- monitoring and evaluation support.
Preparedness for employment is a complex social challenge, impacted by diverse and changing conditions, and involving families, communities, service providers, and employers. It is simply not possible to take a linear approach, planned from start to finish, for a generational initiative that will sustainably enhance Inuit preparedness for employment. The Makigiaqta Strategic Plan is designed to allow for flexibility, based on experience about what is found to be effective and what is not, plus emerging needs and opportunities (e.g. new technology), and ongoing reflection.
Makigiaqta will regularly review and renew its strategy and work plans based on:
- Performance data (of its own and other organizations’ programs);
- Changing labour market needs;
- Emerging risks and opportunities;
- Partners’ needs and perspectives; and,
- New research about promising practices.
To inform its review and renewal processes, Makigiaqta will conduct ongoing internal monitoring, evaluation, and learning activities. In addition, staff will prepare annual progress reports that outline activities completed during the year and the performance data collected about progress toward intended outcomes.