Canada Post announces the: Aboriginal Education Incentive Award.

Canada Post Corporation, which achieved Bronze level status in the Progressive Aboriginal Relations (PAR) program this year, is announcing a new award program available to all Aboriginal people across Canada. The Aboriginal Education Incentive Award is part of Canada Post's campaign to promote literacy in Canada, and is designed to help Aboriginal people who have returned to high school or a post-secondary program.

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"This is different from other awards and scholarships," says Nicole Goodfellow, General Manager, Human Performance Excellence, Operations. "Scholarships focus on marks and academic achievement. We recognize that most people who have had to leave school, perhaps for socioeconomic reasons, want to go back and build a brighter future for themselves. This award focuses on perseverance and determination. With this award we're saying, 'Go back to school--we can help.'"

Twenty-four people, three in each of the corporation's eight regions, will receive the award in 2004. Anyone wishing to apply can obtain application forms from a local postal outlet. Submissions will be accepted beginning May 1 and must be received on or before July 31.

Canada Post is extremely proud of this and many other programs and activities enacted since adopting the PAR framework in 2002. The Corporation continues to drive improvement in four key areas; employment, business development, individual capacity development, and community relations.

The Corporation conducted regional self-assessments, comparing activities to PAR criteria for excellence to identify strengths and opportunities for improvement. In 2003, the corporation developed and launched a national action plan to drive corporate improvement. "The PAR framework is very clear about what has to be done to achieve the goals of Progressive Aboriginal Relations," says Goodfellow, "It's a clear roadmap to success, with measurable goals along the way."

The corporation's achievement of the Bronze level PAR corporate hallmark was announced in January, in recognition of how well Canada Post delivered on its intent to set up specific goals and action plans to improve Aboriginal relations within the company and with the Aboriginal community. For example, the corporation designed a career development program to provide diverse job opportunities for its Aboriginal employees and joined the Aboriginal Inclusion Network, a web-based job site that reaches the Aboriginal communities. An internal support network was designed and launched in Winnipeg to provide a forum for Aboriginal employees to get together, discuss how to enhance their growth and contribution to the Corporation and the community. Through this forum, they can also recommend new approaches to local management to help foster a work environment built on mutual trust and respect.

In the area of business development, Canada Post has worked hard to build relationships with Aboriginal communities; currently, the corporation enjoys a partnership with more than 160 Aboriginal contractors who provide valuable transportation services within its vast transportation and mail delivery network.

"You may ask what's in it for Canada Post," says Nicole Goodfellow. "It's no secret that many Canadian companies are facing a shortage of workers in the next ten years, and Aboriginal people are an important part of that workforce. We have jobs that require a range of skills, from retail to delivery, high tech, engineering, sales and marketing. We want to be seen as an employer of choice. The Aboriginal Education Incentive Award is designed to build links early on with people who will be entering the workforce and show them that the opportunities for growth and development at Canada Post are amazing."