Keyano College became the 51st institution in Canada to sign on to the Indigenous Education Protocol.
Keyano President and CEO, Tracy Edwards confirmed the schools commitment to the regions Aboriginal population on June 21, 2017, National Indigenous Peoples Day.
“Signing this document today reaffirms our commitment to Indigenous Education for our Aboriginal communities,” said Keyano President and CEO Tracy Edwards. “As we respect the intellectual and cultural traditions of Indigenous peoples, we also strengthen our college.”
The college offers an Aboriginal Entrepreneurship program and Career Awards to encourage Indigenous people to pursue and complete post-secondary that lead to high demand careers.
The protocol was develop by Colleges and Institutes Canada (CICan) with partners in the Aboriginal communities on seven principles:
- Commit to making Indigenous education a priority
- Ensure governance structures recognize and respect Indigenous peoples
- Implement intellectual and cultural traditions of Indigenous peoples through curriculum and learning approaches relevant to learners and communities
- Support students and employees to increase understanding and reciprocity among Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples
- Commit to increasing the number of Indigenous employees with ongoing appointments throughout the institution, including Indigenous senior administrators
- Establish Indigenous-centred holistic services and learning environments for learner success
- Build relationships and be accountable to Indigenous communities in support of self-determination through education, training and applied research
Keyano means “sharing” in Cree and campuses throughout the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo (RMWB) including Fort McMurray, Fort Chipewyan and outreach campuses in Fort McKay, Anzac, Janvier and Conklin.
