Federal and provincial supports for the organizations that deliver Indigenous skills, employment, and business training are substantial and have been reinforced over the past several budget cycles. The federal Indigenous Skills and Employment Training (ISET) Program, administered by Employment and Social Development Canada, is the principal instrument on the skills and employment side, funding a broad network of Indigenous service delivery organizations through distinctions-based labour market strategies for First Nations, Inuit, Métis, and urban or non-affiliated populations. Budget 2018 committed $2 billion over five years and $408.2 million per year ongoing to establish ISET, with long-term agreements of up to ten years providing funding predictability to delivery organizations.
On the business training side, the Aboriginal Entrepreneurship Program (AEP) is administered by Indigenous Services Canada and its Access to Capital stream is delivered by the National Aboriginal Capital Corporations Association (NACCA) through the network of over 50 Indigenous Financial Institutions and Métis Capital Corporations. The AEP was expanded by $42 million in Budget 2021, and its 2024 federal evaluation found that the devolution of program delivery to Indigenous-led organizations has improved efficiency and strengthened relationships with Indigenous entrepreneurs. Complementary supports flow to entrepreneurship and business training organizations through the Access to Business Opportunities stream, Futurpreneur Canada’s Indigenous Entrepreneur Startup Program, and the Canadian Council for Indigenous Business (CCIB). At the post-secondary level, Ontario announced in April 2026 a $57 million investment in the nine Indigenous Institutes recognized under the Indigenous Institutes Act, 2017, which will approximately double their annual operating funding and expand programming capacity.
