• Although its seems that recruitment efforts with Aboriginal learners can be more effective through face-to-face visits and participatory events for high school students and their parents, the internet will remain an important communication tool for institutions. Some institutions are working towards enhancing their websites to make Aboriginal programs and services more visible and easier to find. Currently, 54 colleges and institutes are also on the Education section of the Aboriginal Portal which provides program listings at Aboriginal and mainstream colleges and institutes with direct links to the college/institute websites. Once the Aboriginal section of the ACCC website will be developed, ACCC will explore options for linking to the Aboriginal portal as well.

3.2 Assessment Services

Aboriginal and mainstream colleges and institutes offer assessment services to Aboriginal learners, both for high school entrants and mature students. Most survey respondents from the mainstream institutions confirmed that they do not have assessment services specifically for Aboriginal learners, but that they can access services available for all students who do not meet regular entrance requirements. The types of assessment services identified by both Aboriginal and mainstream institutions include:

• College entrance testing; academic testing such as Accuplacer;
• Adult basic education assessments including the Canadian Adult Achievement Test (CAAT);
• Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR) services;
• Assessments of English or French as a second language competency levels; and
• Career assessments.

Assessment services often include referrals to basic skills upgrading courses, and in some cases, students are registered according to these assessments.

Smaller institutions and those serving small Aboriginal populations, offer more individualized services through Aboriginal educational advisors or counsellors, or even recruitment officers who offer academic and career assessments in Aboriginal high schools. Nunavut Arctic College also has faculty and adult educators at its 3 campuses and 24 community learning centres involved in the assessment process. In preparation for a new term, faculty at Nunavut Arctic College interview students to assess their personal and academic suitability and to provide students with more information on the program so they can confirm that the program is what they want. This is especially important in programs like human services or nursing where there needs to be a match between the students’ readiness and what the program offers. Nunavut Arctic College can do this because it is a small institution with small class sizes and the college has a formal policy which requires college faculty to develop appropriate professional relationships with students.