The academic and vocational education that is received by Indian people inadequately equips them to compete on the same general level for more than minimal jobs when they arrive in the city. Leaving the reservations severely limits the opportunity of receiving financial assistance for continuing education. * Consequently, Indians are often handicapped in any attempt to ugrade themselves.

Inadequacies in the Existing Manpower Delivery System

Most manpower programs developed since 1964, have been structured for disadvantaged persons in urban areas. However, the primary target population was the Blacks and, over the years, many of these programs have come under their control. Thus, both conceptually and operationally, these programs were aimed at persons who were members of an urban subculture and not designed for American Indians from a rural and completely distinct culture.

Among the more obvious failings of the existing system are the following:

Most urban manpower programs are planned, funded, structured and managed with no regard for potential Indian participants.

Existing urban manpower programs are dominated by White
and non-Indian minority groups, none of whom are aware of,
or sensitive to, Indian problems. Seldom are there Indians
on the staff or among the trainees in these programs to whom
Indian trainees or job applicants can relate. As a result,
Indian people avoid most urban manpower programs.

With very few exceptions, the existing manpower system,
controlled by non-Indians, has made no effort to locate,
identify, perform any type of outreach among those Indians
in off-reservation areas. Outreach is one of the most vital
functions of urban manpower programs.

* In some instances, leaving the reservation for residence in the city disqualifies the individual from receiving tribal scholorship assistance.

A further result of the exclusion of Indian people from the
urban manpower programs is lack of information on available
supportive services which could aid them during training,

for the first weeks on a new job. The access to health services,
transportation, day care, etc., is imperative for successful
and continued employment.

In the only MDTA (E&D) project of its type for off-reservation Indians conducted in Phoenix, Arizona, alcoholism was the prime reason for traince failure, with health problems a close second. Other problems were in areas of housing, transportation, child care, lack of supportive services, lack of related training after graduation from the basic project, and inflexibility of the basic program's staffing requirements.

The Department of Labor has made no attempt to gather more than minimal data on Indian participants in manpower programs. Most of the information compiled does not include separate statistical data on Indians, who are often mercly listed as "non-White". There are many southwest Indians statistically tabulated in the "Spanish surname" category.

For

Indians are often categorically excluded from urban manpower programs when such programs have arbitrarily set geographical target areas. example, CEP often excludes Indians who do not reside in the target area.

Recommendations for Improving the Manpower Delivery System

If the above problems are to be alleviated, the manpower delivery system must be made more responsive to the needs of the Indian people. A series of immediate and far-reaching changes should be implemented as follows:

The numbers and labor market status of the Indian population in major areas of urban concentration must be determined.

Existing supportive services and their current utilization must be identified (Federal, state, city, community, ethnic organizations, etc.).

Provision for day care centers and housing facilities
should be made through contracts with Indian centers,
organizations, and/or individual Indians.

Indian organizations should be utilized to disseminate information of benefit and assistance to the off-reservation Indian community.

A directory of available Indian organizations and other supportive services should be developed and widely distributed among Indian people living in, or moving to, the area.

Priority for funding of manpower projects designed to serve urban Indians must be given to Indian corporations of one or more urban Indian organizations. (See the President's message, Section 7, Paragraph 4.)

Special programs must be established:

To provide the half-way house approach, utilizing Indian staff which would prepare Indians for participation in existing, conventional programs

To serve Indian trainees, who need extensive preparation
in areas of orientation, counseling (by Indian counselors
or guidance personnel), remedial education, rehabilitation,
vocational training, placement and follow-up not available
through conventional programs

Manpower programs for Indians in urban areas must be designed, structured, staffed, administered, and evaluated with the maximum available involvement of Indian people.

Provisions must be made in project contracts to have Indian employees trained to replace non-Indians, within a designated time period.

Priority must be placed on the employment of Indian staff at all levles in projects designed to serve Indians in urban areas.

Funds must be allocated for training of urban Indian project staff in such areas as management, basic principles of vocational guidance, alcoholism rehabilitation, etc.

Indian people must be involved in the development of visual training and orientation aids which are relevant to their specific needs.

Indian people must be given a greater role in State Employment Services, in management and in other professional, decisionmaking positions.

*

There are cases where the separate funding of programs for
Indians is not feasible (i.e., urban areas with a small Indian
population). Then, the existing manpower delivery system
must be substantially modified.

Existing programs must be designed, structured, staffed, administered and evaluated with specific services budgeted and designed to meet the needs of off-reservation Indians, who reside in a particular area.

Priority must be given to the maximum possible employment and training of Indian staff for programs dealing with Indian people.

Non-Indian staff (including members of other minority groups) and businessmen involved in programs must be oriented to the ethnic differences and unique needs of Indian people.

A concentrated outreach effort, utilizing Indian staff,
wherever possible, must be made.

More intensive individual job development must be undertaken to increase Indian participation in OJT, JOBS, and other employment opportunities, including apprenticeship positions offered by unions.

*This recommendation was also made in 1968 as a result of the Department of Labor's study of Indian manpower problems. Little change has occurred in the last three years.

PROBLEMS OF RESERVATION INDIANS

While the majority of Indians living in rural areas occupy reservation or trust lands, there are some rural Indian communities which do not reside on such land. The employability problems faced by these groups are identical with those experienced by reservation residents. For the purposes of this paper, they are included in the category of "reservation Indians".

The problem of the reservation Indian is greater and more complex than that of the off-reservation Indian. In many reservation areas, the existing manpower delivery system is ineffective. Statistics show minimal benefits to reservation residents from current manpower programs. This may be attributed to a variety of reasons:

The greatest efforts and expenditures for manpower programs have been made in urban areas. The same basic program design is not appropriate for reservation manpower programs.

76-736 72 pt. 43