By investing in Indigenous expertise from the outset of Ontario’s employment services transformation, Serco built trusted relationships that strengthened service delivery and expanded engagement across Indigenous communities and organizations.
Contributor: Jodi O’Gorman
Challenge
As Ontario’s Employment Services Transformation advanced, Serco recognized an important gap: Indigenous engagement needed to be more than consultation. To be effective, it needed to be formal, sustained, and guided by Indigenous voices.
The opportunity was clear. Establishing the right relationships early would help ensure Indigenous perspectives informed the transformation from the beginning rather than being added later.
Key challenges included:
- Building meaningful relationships with Indigenous communities and organizations.
- Ensuring Indigenous perspectives informed planning and decision-making.
- Avoiding transactional or one-time engagement approaches.
- Creating a foundation for long-term collaboration and trust.
- Improving outcomes for Indigenous job seekers
Solution
Serco took a deliberate approach grounded in partnership, respect, and action.
During the Ontario employment services transformation, Serco:
- Established formal partnerships with Indigenous organizations to provide guidance and advice.
- Invested funding to ensure Indigenous expertise was appropriately recognized and compensated.
- Incorporated Indigenous perspectives into planning and engagement activities.
- Delivered Indigenous Cultural Competency training for staff.
- Prioritized listening, relationship-building, and ongoing collaboration.
Rather than treating engagement as a project requirement, Serco embedded Indigenous partnership into the transformation process itself.
Benefit
The approach helped build strong relationships based on trust, credibility, and mutual respect.
Outcomes included:
- Established trusted relationships with Indigenous organizations and partners.
- Expanded engagement opportunities through referrals and introductions across broader Indigenous networks.
- Strengthened Indigenous participation in the transformation process.
- Increased organizational understanding of Indigenous perspectives and priorities.
- Created a foundation for ongoing collaboration beyond the initial transformation effort.
Why it matters in Canada
Meaningful Indigenous engagement requires more than consultation. It requires investment, shared accountability, and a willingness to listen and learn.
By recognizing Indigenous expertise as valuable and ensuring it was properly supported, Serco helped build relationships capable of delivering lasting value for communities, partners, and service delivery systems.
Trust is not built through intentions. It is built through actions. By investing in Indigenous partnerships from the beginning, Serco created relationships that strengthened both the transformation effort and its ability to engage meaningfully with Indigenous communities across Ontario.
