The results of the 2001 Census confirmed that Aboriginal people are drawn to trades and apprenticeship programs. As pointed out by the Aboriginal Human Resource Development Council of Canada (AHRDCC), Canada has a growing shortfall of skilled labour, highlighted by the fact that the average age of fully skilled trades people in Canada is 50. By 2020, there will be an anticipated shortfall of one million skilled workers. AHRDCC has emphasized the need to leverage stronger Aboriginal involvement in trades apprenticing, and provides a support system for Aboriginal inclusion in trades and apprenticeship through its Aboriginal Trades Apprenticeship Initiative.
Over half of all respondent colleges, Aboriginal and mainstream, confirmed that they offer trades and apprenticeship programs specifically for Aboriginal students or have Aboriginal students enrolled in their regular trades and apprenticeship programs. Colleges and institutes are partnered with provincial apprenticeship boards for the delivery of both pre-trades and apprenticeship programs.
Confederation College has developed a centre for trades and apprenticeship related needs in northwestern Ontario and has included the Negahneewin Council and Negahneewin College in its growth. The college works together in creating new partnerships and implementing strategies to assist First Nations communities in the forestry and energy areas.
Colleges and institutes are also involved in promoting Aboriginal participation in trades and apprenticeship. For example, SIAST and SIIT partnered with AHRDCC and the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship Commission to deliver a Western Symposium on Aboriginal People in Trades in October 2004. This symposium brought together representatives from education, industry/union, government and Aboriginal communities from Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, the Yukon and Northwest Territories. The symposium enabled participants to identify strategies for success, best practices and ideas for change aimed at increasing the participation of Aboriginal people in trades.
Almost one third of participating institutions offer university preparation programs. For example, the College of the North Atlantic offers a College University Transfer Program as part of a student transition program before students go outside of Labrador to larger institutions. Academic upgrading, open studies, general arts and science, adult basic education, and Quebec cégep pre-university programs were all cited as examples of university preparation programs offered by colleges and institutes.
Almost one third of institutions surveyed confirmed that they offer Aboriginal learners university transfer programs. University transfer programs allow Aboriginal students to complete two or three year diploma programs at the college level and then transfer to a university with which colleges/institutes have block transfer agreements, to complete a degree. All programs at Nicola Valley Institute of Technology are considered university transfer given the B.C. university transfer system where all college and university programs are required to be transferable. Some examples of university transfer programs include: