In order to truly assess how colleges and institutes are meeting the needs of Aboriginal learners within their communities, the learners themselves should also be surveyed. However, due to limited resources and time the scope of this research project focused on assessing institutional perspectives with the understanding that colleges and institutes typically conduct education and training needs assessments in consultation community partners. However, ACCC will be conducting a survey of first year college and institute students in the fall 2005 through a research project funded by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (HRSDC) entitled “Pan-Canadian Study of College Students, the College Experience and Determinants of First Year Outcomes”. This project aims to:

• Develop a comprehensive profile of students in colleges, institutes, cégeps, and university-colleges;
• Describe the first-term college student experience, any differences between types of students and changes in their attitudes, perceptions and behaviours, and
• Identify the characteristics of students and institutions that promote student success and persistence.

The instrument for this survey includes questions aimed at identifying Aboriginal students so that a sub-set of the results will be analyzed to determine the specific perspectives of Aboriginal respondent students. The results and data specifically on Aboriginal learners will be integrated into this report once available in May/June 2006.

This report includes:

• An overview of Aboriginal post-secondary education in Canada including:
  • data on Aboriginal education drawn from the Statistics Canada 2001 Census¹, the 2004 Report of the Auditor General of Canada, and the Assembly of First Nations;
  • a review of the main barriers to Aboriginal learners’ participation in PSE; and
  • a review of the post-secondary education policy priorities of the Assembly of First Nations;
  • a description of the types of post-secondary institutions Aboriginal learners can access, ranging from mainstream colleges, institutes, cégeps, university colleges and universities, provincially recognized Aboriginal institutions and Aboriginal- controlled institutions;
• A description of the types of Aboriginal programs and services offered by respondent Aboriginal and mainstream colleges and institutes including how these programs and services are funded, where they are being delivered, how they are being accessed, and partnerships colleges and institutes are involved in for the delivery of these programs and services;
• A description of the types of programs and services offered by Aboriginal-controlled institutions and the particular challenges they face;
• A description of colleges’ and institutes’ perspectives on how programs can be enhanced, and lessons learned colleges and institutes identified through the on-line survey and interviews.

1. The 2001 Census data should be viewed as general indicators rather than precise facts because of the limitations of the census in that there is reluctance in completing census information for some Aboriginal people because of a mistrust of the government that leads some to avoid giving the government information, and low literacy levels. The data may be biased to Aboriginals who are formally educated and thus less marginalized. In addition, some large reserves were not enumerated.