You're right, their skill boosts do not, but their racial perk doubles the amount of magicka damage as well as physical.  Additionally, the orc lifestyle is a live off the land type of mentality which makes them fit the shamanistic ways.  And shamans are way different from mages, even if our way of using skills is limited by skyrim.

I'm almost for certain that it does.  Pretty sure there have been a couple of orc builds focused around it.  Judges?

UESP says I'm wrong.  But this build still utilizes melee skills so it still works for the build.

Yeah, I saw that, but like I said, it still works for his melee damage, and maybe the enchantment damage...