Mentorship in Marketing: New Partnership Connecting Indigenous Learners to Mentors in Marketing

Vancouver, BC - The Raising Voices project, led by the Digital Marketing Sector Council (DMSC), has partnered with Influence Mentoring to mentor new Indigenous digital marketing learners who are launching into careers in marketing.

Since the summer of 2023, education partners Jelly Academy and NPower Canada have been rapidly upskilling Indigenous job seekers. Jelly Academy has upskilled 20 participants to gain 11 industry-recognized certifications in Digital Marketing. NPower Canada has provided additional professional development and wraparound support to these participants, in addition to recruitment, intake, and job placement assistance.

Through this new partnership, the Raising Voices project continues to build on its foundation of bridging the gap for underserved Indigenous talent, equipping them not only with the skills required to work in digital marketing, but also with the connections and insights brought through dedicated mentorship.

Influence Mentoring was founded specifically to create better opportunities for Indigenous learners. Influence’s Chairperson, Colby Delorme says, “This a unique opportunity for our community to gain an education in the growing digital marketing sector. Technical training delivered in a fast, mentored, and impactful way is perfect for our people to establish a career with the typical entry barriers removed. We are excited to be part of an exciting new venture with amazing partners”.

The lack of Indigenous representation in the tech and digital spaces in Canada needs to be addressed. Approximately 1% of tech roles in Canada are filled by Indigenous Peoples despite contributing 2.5% to Canada’s GDP and being 5% of the population (Digital Supercluster). Through this partnership, the Raising Voices project aims to close that gap through correct, thoughtful, and deliberate approaches.

Brent Chaters, Managing Director at Accenture, and catalyst for the launch of the project says, “This partnership brings together a really unique opportunity of job creation, mentorship, and skills development. When these three things come together you’ve got a very powerful combination that can change trajectories for people in the long term by creating meaningful ways to expand and create new networks and opportunities as they develop their careers and develop to become future leaders in Canadian businesses.”

To learn more about The Raising Voices Project, please visit www.digitalmarketingsectorcouncil.com/raising-voices-project.