Executive Summary

1. Introduction

The Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) is the national and international voice through which Canada’s colleges and institutes inform and advise various levels of government, business, industry and labour. ACCC’s Strategic Focus priorities for 2005-2006 include Aboriginal peoples’ access to post-secondary education, and enhancing student success support mechanisms in colleges and institutes which are grounded in Aboriginal values, culture and tradition.

In April and May 2005 ACCC initiated a study on Aboriginal programs and services at colleges and institutes. For the purposes of this study and report, the term Aboriginal is used to describe, in general, the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit people of Canada. The study included a literature review, an on-line survey for mainstream ACCC member colleges and institutes, and interviews with representatives from Aboriginal and northern ACCC member colleges and institutes, and the Aboriginal Institutes Consortium, an Associate Member of ACCC. Of the 140 ACCC member colleges and institutes, 61 participated in the study, 59 mainstream institutions, including the colleges in the three territories, and 2 Aboriginal institutions, for an overall response rate of over 44 percent.

2. Overview of Aboriginal Post-secondary Education in Canada

This report begins with an overview of Aboriginal post-secondary education trends in Canada drawn from 2001 Census data which indicate that:

• Aboriginal people’s share of Canada’s population is on the rise
• the Aboriginal population is younger
• the education gap between Aboriginal and Non-Aboriginal people persists
• Aboriginal people are drawn to trade and college credentials
• Aboriginal people tend to go back to post-secondary studies later in life.

The report also provides an overview of the barriers to Aboriginal learners’ participation in post-secondary education:

• Historical barriers due to the assimilationist education policies of the federal government and the legacy of the residential school system;
• Social barriers such as the significant number of Aboriginal learners with family responsibilities, the lack of role models in Aboriginal communities, social discrimination and unemployment and poverty;
• Lack of academic preparation and prerequisites due to low high school graduation rates and high number of mature students;