b'decks; they also built a gazebo in the communitys park.Prior to that, they got in-class training for an additional two weeks, Lamontagne says. That involved first aid, working at heights, getting their five-point harness, working with tools and different credentials to prepare them to go into the field.Kate Quinn, Project Lead at Northern College, says the construc-tion project for the land-based healing program near Taykwa Tagamou was which could be completed over thecommunities so that students can train a success. course of 33 weeks. where they reside and get exposure to The goal of that project was to incor- This program embeds Indigenoustrades to develop an interest in a career, porate traditional knowledge by livingtraditional knowledge, culture andQuinn says.on the land while exposing students toceremony while providing students with the construction trade, Quinn says.pathways into trades, Quinn explains. Kwe-BizThe students set up camp and wouldKwe-Biz is an Okwaho Equal Source go hunting and fishing and even builtNorthern College and Keepersand Queens University initiative located a smoke shack. They did traditionalof the Circle purchased four mobilein Tyendinaga Mohawk Territory and harvesting while also learning abouttrades training trailers for the program,Kingston. Since beginning operations in construction and building cabins including two construction trailers andApril 2020, Kwe-Biz has provided more that would ultimately be used for one welding trailer. than 60 Indigenous women entrepre-land-based healing. Over the next five years, Keepers ofneurs with business support services and The mobile trades program, whichthe Circle and Northern College haveentrepreneurship training, including a had approximately 283 trainees, includeda Memorandum of Understanding to12-week business accelerator program, a one-year Indigenous Pathways tojointly or independently use these trailersworkshops and one-on-one mentorships. Trades college certificate program,to continue bringing trades training toThe program operates using funds from Canadas only Indigenous-led and owned venture capital fund has closed a $100M investment fund. Raven provides seed and early stage capital ($500k to $5M) to purpose-driven Indigenous enterprises within an Indigenous cultural framework. Are you looking for capital and a network of support to scale your business? For more information, please visit: www.ravencapitalpartners.ca or drop us a line at: info@ravencapitalpartners.ca.Dedicated to helping Indigenous entrepreneurs scale their businesses and lift their communitiesI ssue2 2022/23C hIefs ofo ntarIoA dvocAte magazIne l 43'