Ontario: More Educational Opportunities for Indigenous Students

News Release

More Educational Opportunities for Indigenous Students

Ontario Increasing Access to Culturally Appropriate Postsecondary Education

Ontario is working with Aboriginal Institutes to give more Indigenous students access to culturally appropriate postsecondary education and training opportunities across the province.

Deb Matthews, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Development, was at First Nations Technical Institute today to make the announcement.

Ontario is providing more support for Aboriginal Institutes to help them expand their capacity as a distinct and complementary pillar of Ontario’s postsecondary education system. Aboriginal institutes partner with colleges and universities to offer degree programs, apprenticeship programs, certificate programs, and diplomas in culturally appropriate and safe learning environments.

Many Indigenous students face unique financial and other barriers to postsecondary education and training. Ontario is working with its Indigenous partners to implement an Indigenous Education Strategy to increase Indigenous peoples’ access, participation and success in postsecondary education and training.

Improving outcomes for Indigenous learners in postsecondary education and training is one of the many steps on Ontario’s journey of reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples. As part of
The Journey Together: Ontario’s Commitment to Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples, this initiative reflects the government’s commitment to work with Indigenous partners, creating a better future for everyone in the province.

Quick Facts

  • Over the next three years, Ontario will invest $56 million in Aboriginal Institutes to help them expand their capacity.
  • There are nine Aboriginal Institutes in Ontario, located around the province, that receive funding from the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Development.
  • Aboriginal Institutes currently offer postsecondary education and training programs to more than 1,000 students annually.
  • On average, about 300 learners graduate from Aboriginal Institutes every year.
  • In June 2015, Ontario committed to recognizing Aboriginal Institutes as part of Ontario’s postsecondary education and training system, responding to the Aboriginal Institutes Consortium 2014 policy paper The Road to Recognition.
  • With the $56 million announced today, Ontario’s funding to Aboriginal Institutes will have quadrupled since 2014-15.

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