Digital Marketing Sector Council, NPower Canada, and Jelly Academy Program, Raising Voices, receives funding to support skills development for Indigenous talent

The Digital Marketing Sector Council (DMSC) is pleased to announce it has received funding from DIGITAL, Canada’s Global Innovation Cluster for digital technologies, to support the Raising Voices Project – an initiative with NPower Canada and Jelly Academy, that seeks to build bridges for underserved Indigenous talent, equipping them with in-demand micro-credentials and paid work experience with Canada’s leading employers in order to obtain meaningful digital marketing careers.

Funded in part by the Government of Canada’s Sectoral Workforce Solutions Program, DIGITAL’s co-investment in the Raising Voices Project acts as one of many collaborations under their Digital Learning Lab. As DIGITAL’s national innovation platform for digital talent and workforce development, partnerships and investments through the Digital Learning Lab are reducing the cost and time required to get someone job-ready in the digital economy. As economic change accelerates, Canadians need accessible, low-cost, short-cycle training to develop digital skills quickly and affordably.

“Supporting equity and diversity within Canada’s technology sector is crucial to our country’s continued growth and prosperity,” said Sydney Goodfellow, Director of DIGITAL’s talent-focused program, the Digital Learning Lab. “We’re proud to support organizations like the Digital Marketing Sector Council in ensuring all Canadians have access to in-demand digital skills and employment opportunities.”

“Thanks to DIGITAL, the funding we have received for the Raising Voices Project will go towards training Indigenous individuals participating in the program. More specifically, the program will consist of digital marketing skills training, professional development, elder support, and job placement support,” says Darian Kovacs, a Member of the DMSC.

The DMSC, NPower Canada, and Jelly Academy are proud to have their founding industry partners joining the Raising Voices Project and offer apprenticeships. Accenture and TD Bank Group (TD) have partnered with the DMSC to provide four Raising Voices program participants with a 12-month paid internship. Industry partners interested in joining the Raising Voices Project can apply here.

“TD has a long-standing commitment to diversity and inclusion. We understand the importance of fostering diverse talent to create more inclusive workplaces and to drive better customer, business and community outcomes. As a customer experience leader at TD, I have seen firsthand the impact that inclusive mindsets and representation can have on our ability to deliver legendary customer experiences. Programs such as the Raising Voices Project allows us to play an important role in developing the marketing leaders of the future and ensuring that talented individuals from Indigenous communities see Marketing (and TD) as a destination for their careers” says Jenn Lang, VP Enterprise Customer Experience and Insights at TD. 

In light of the new partnership, Brent Chaters, a managing director at Accenture Song, said, “Raising Voices began with a pivotal question: what if every brand took action to create opportunities for historically marginalized individuals? Over 18 months, with passion and in collaboration with our partners, we built an initiative that enables organizations to act on a collective responsibility to make the industry more accessible and diverse, specifically for Indigenous communities. At Accenture, we hold ourselves accountable for hiring and developing diverse talent and being a founding partner of Raising Voices, and witnessing the initiative's impactful strides already, is a profound milestone on our reconciliation journey.”

Through this project, education partners Jelly Academy and NPower Canada will rapidly upskill 20 job seekers from Indigenous communities. Jelly Academy will upskill participants to gain 11 industry-recognized certifications in Digital Marketing. NPower Canada will provide additional professional development and wraparound support to these participants, in addition to recruitment, intake, and job placement assistance. 

Currently, 16 scholarships are available for Indigenous Peoples in Canada through this program. Visit the Raising Voices Program page to learn more about the scholarship application process and course offerings. 

"We are thrilled to be a part of the Raising Voices Project and look forward to supporting program participants on their employment journeys," says NPower Canada CEO Julia Blackburn. "This partnership deepens our commitment to supporting all individuals who face systemic barriers to employment."