New Education Partnerships and Opportunities at Ontario’s Indigenous Institutes

With 2021 well underway, the IIC and its Indigenous Institute member have been making advances for post-secondary Indigenous education.

One of the biggest announcements came at the start of the year when the Government of Ontario announced that it would be expanding the Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP) to include learners at all Indigenous Institutes. “IIC member Institutes welcome the regulation change designating Indigenous Institutes as eligible to administer OSAP financial assistance to eligible students enrolled in accredited Indigenous Institute programs. This ensures that students enrolled in our programs have equal access to student financial assistance,” said Rebecca Jamieson, IIC Interim Chair.

During the final quarter of 2020, the IIC began a new partnership with eCampusOntario to advance the offerings of Ontario’s Indigenous Institutes and actively participating in its virtual learning strategy. The call for proposals launched in January, with support from the IIC, and through the IIC’s advocacy, a new position was created at eCampusOntario for an Indigenous Virtual Learning Support advisor. The IIC will continue to work with eCampusOntario to ensure that its virtual learning initiatives takes Indigenous learners and Institutes into account.

IIC’s member Institutes have also been busy with new initiatives and partnerships that will secure a brighter future for Indigenous learners. Here’s what’s been happening:

Kenjgewin Teg joins OntarioLearn

“We are extremely excited to share this good news about Kenjgewin Teg’s recently approved new membership with OntarioLearn which will begin April 1, 2021”, said Stephanie Roy, President. “With transitions in higher learning moving toward blended and hybrid approaches that includes the reality of virtual learning environments, membership with OntarioLearn will provide our learners who enjoy an independent, online way of learning many more opportunities as they explore their learning journeys”.

Six Nations Polytechnic becomes a new member of eCampusOntario

“We’re thrilled to increase our collective capacity for virtual learning as a new member of eCampusOntario. This past year we launched pilots with our partner institutions that recognized the trend toward micro-credentials; preparing our students for a fast-changing workplace where micro-credentials can more efficiently determine skills and competencies for hiring.” – President and CEO, Rebecca Jamieson.

Kenjgewin Teg Anishinabek Innovation and Research Centre becomes certified with the Canadian Welding Bureau

“We hope and look forward to this being the first of many certifications from the CWB that the trades centre here at Kenjgewin Teg will be doing in the future,” said Dave Hall, Manager of Kenjgewin Teg’s ASIRC programs and facility. “We work well together here with all of our instructors and students, and I wholeheartedly supported Dave as the welding instructor in pursuing us becoming an approved testing site of the CWB”.