Canadore College will be the project lead for two new research projects.
Jeanette Miron is with the college and she says these projects will provide significant information on providing more access to jobs and education for Indigenous students.
She says the research will allow them to do look into all the Indigenous programs across Ontario. The goal is to find pathways that exist in those programs for students, so they can ladder their learning opportunities in post-secondary and through community based learning.
The second project will provide access into the health and business related programs for Indigenous students.
Miron says business and health are areas where there are a lot of employment opportunities.
Miron says they have reached out to community partners who say those areas are being identified as good education and employment opportunities for all students. Â She says they are trying to address the barriers some Indigenous students face when trying to access post-secondary education.
Miron says they have already removed the grade 12 requirement so students 19 and older can access the Indigenous preparatory program. They also have the General Arts and Science program which is offered to those who don’t have the grade 12 education.
Miron says they are trying to develop more programs at Canadore College that are meaningful to Indigenous people and their communities.
The two research projects are being funded by the Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer. Executive Director for the Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer Lia Quickert says they will provide $200,000 towards the projects.
Quickert says everything they do is about putting students first, and that means all students in Ontario. She says 55,000 students transfer into Ontario every year and they are just expanding that now to include Indigenous students.
Quickert says Canadore will collaborate with other institutions in the northern region to develop the findings for this research.
