Denise Amyot President and CEO of Colleges and Institutes Canadasupplied
Q&A with Denise Amyot President and CEO of Colleges and Institutes Canada
Why is advancing equity and inclusion important for Canadian colleges and institutes?
Colleges and institutes dramatically expanded across the country over 50 years ago with the mandate to support their local communities and meet the needs of the labour market. To achieve this, we have to ensure learning is accessible to every community member – and that programs and services enable student success during the post-secondary education journey and beyond.
Advancing equity and inclusion isn’t only the right thing to do, it is absolutely necessary for creating a sustainable future.
How can access to education be enhanced?
There are many ways in which colleges and institutes ensure their offerings meet the needs of a broad range of learners, for example, by having over 10,000 job-focused programs, a wide range of different types of credentials, and diverse and flexible learning options.
Through community and industry partnerships, colleges and institutes always have the pulse of what is happening in the labour market, and they pay extra attention to removing barriers to entry for vulnerable community members.
A CICan program called Skills Compass, for example, is looking to improve conditions for Indigenous and newcomer youth who are currently not in employment, education or training. The goal is to ease access to education by providing wrap-around supports so they can develop the skills and career readiness they need to go back to school or prepare for a career.
Over the three years of the program, 130 unemployed or underemployed Indigenous and newcomer youth between the ages 18 and 30 years received education and skills training, allowing them to join the labour market or enter other post-secondary training.
How are colleges and institutes engaging Indigenous communities?
According to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, education is one of the five key areas that must be reformed to achieve reconciliation. We know that colleges and institutes across Canada are the primary access point to post-secondary for First Nations and Métis learners. And this means we are deeply invested in advancing reconciliation by partnering with Indigenous communities to remove barriers to education and promote a culture of respect and inclusion.
When we create a culture of equity and inclusion, our learners take this experience and bring it into their own communities and workplaces. A college and institute experience is part of the educational journey for many of our present and future leaders.
— Denise Amyot President and CEO of Colleges and Institutes Canada
Colleges and institutes offer a total of 300 credential programs that are tailored specifically to the needs of Indigenous learners and communities. We also have member institutions, such as the First Nations Technical Institute (FNTI), delivering culturally rich post-secondary programs rooted in Indigenous ways of knowing. With over 4,000 graduates, FNTI is growing and is currently planning a completely net-zero campus to continue serving the community and future generations.
Can the example set by colleges and institutes lead to societal transformation?
Absolutely. Just consider the graduation rate of Indigenous people, who achieve numbers of college and institute diplomas that are on par with non-Indigenous graduates – while elsewhere, post-secondary attainment rates remain lower among Indigenous populations.
When we create a culture of equity and inclusion, our learners take this experience and bring it into their own communities and workplaces. A college and institute experience is part of the educational journey for many of our present and future leaders.
Another example we are proud of is our contribution to the UNESCO sustainability in education framework. It included five ways to support sustainability, and we added a sixth one: Indigenous ways of knowing and being. We found that there is a strong connection between efforts to enhance sustainability and Indigenous values, which include a spiritual and holistic approach, a focus on tradition, culture and language, as well of healing through integrating past, present and future.
Our approach to building a caring and inclusive culture across the college and institute sector encompasses connecting and mobilizing leaders, sharing knowledge, and ensuring that learners come away with the skills and tools for advancing equity, diversity and inclusion in all areas of society.
Advertising feature produced by Randall Anthony Communications with Colleges and Institutes Canada. The Globe’s editorial department was not involved.