Indigenous Career Pivot Program

Discover the Indigenous Career Pivot Program: An initiative supporting Indigenous Peoples interested in pursuing a career in the maritime sector and the rapidly growing ocean economy by providing work placement opportunities.

Connecting Indigenous Peoples to the ocean economy

The Indigenous Career Pivot Program facilitates meaningful work placements for mid-career Indigenous Peoples wishing to explore and pursue careers in ocean-based industries. The program mobilizes a network of 460+ maritime organizations and companies, from coast to coast to coast, to support Indigenous employment in this key sector of the Canadian economy.

Learn more about the program from Sarah Thomas, Clear Seas’ Director of Indigenous and Coastal Community Relations:

The opportunity

Indigenous participants embark on a 12-month placement support program focused on creating full-time positions. Through their placements, the candidates acquire hands-on experience in maritime-related industries, build new competencies, and strengthen existing knowledge by mobilizing their skillsets and natural aptitudes.

The program offers competitive compensation packages as well as a range of professional development opportunities to the Indigenous workforce, including:

Full orientation and onboarding process
A work-integrated learning plan
Online development courses
Career building conferences and workshops
Mentoring support provided by Canada’s Ocean Supercluster and the hiring organization
Intercultural Competency Training
A peer support network

Both Indigenous Peoples looking for a career in ocean-related industries and Ocean Supercluster member organizations looking to hire Indigenous talent can enroll in the program.

Frequently asked questions about the program

Typical hiring timelines range from 2 to 5 weeks, as placements depend on the candidates’ skills and interests, and the employers’ needs and available positions.

Placement positions are determined by each organization, based on their specific needs. For example, the offered positions could be in the logistics, administrative, or technical fields and range from entry level to senior management level. Applications from hiring organizations are weighted based on the opportunity for continued employment and advancement they provide to candidates.

New participating organizations set the salaries for the placement positions and may be eligible for an employee wage subsidy. Employers submit claims monthly, on a reimbursement basis.

Your hiring organization will develop a work-integrated learning plan outlining the professional development activities deemed necessary to ensure you get the most out of your placements. Your training plan may include requirements to complete short courses and attend workshops and conferences.

The Cultural Competency Education is a training program to help hiring organizations identify the potential barriers to Indigenous employment in their workplaces, increase the retention of Indigenous employees, and offer safe cultural environments within the workplace through inclusion and diversity plans.