RAMA FIRST NATION, ONTARIO – The Indigenous Advanced Education and Skills
Council (IAESC) releases its standards and benchmarks for Certificates, Diplomas, and
Post-Diploma Certificates for postsecondary education and training programs offered by
Indigenous Institutes.
IAESC is hosting a release of its certificates, diplomas and post-diploma certificates
standards on Thursday, February 2, 2023, at 1:00 pm EST. A combination of online and in-person attendees will provide an opportunity for knowledge sharing and networking.
Indigenous youth and education are critical to the future of Canada’s workforce.
Education is a key factor in determining an individual’s employability and earning
potential, and Indigenous youth are currently underrepresented in post-secondary
education and in the workforce. By providing Indigenous youth with access to quality
education and training programs that are culturally relevant and responsive to their
needs, the Indigenous Advanced Education and Skills Council (IAESC) standards and
benchmarks will help to close the gap in education and employment outcomes between
Indigenous and non-Indigenous people. This will provide Indigenous youth with greater
opportunities to succeed in their studies and in their future careers, and help to build a
more diverse and skilled workforce that is better able to meet the needs of Indigenous
communities and participate in Canada’s economy. Additionally, investing in Indigenous
education is also an important step in addressing the ongoing impacts of colonialism, as
Indigenous peoples have been historically marginalized and denied access to
education and other opportunities.
“This is a tremendous milestone we have reached in our very own Indigenous
quality assurance framework that holds true to our values, principles, and
standards of creating self-determining credentials of certificates, diplomas and
degrees that supports fully our Indigenous ways of knowing, being, doing and
relating. It is of the utmost importance that the students have the skills to be
competent and proficient in any discipline or field of study through the newly
established program standards and benchmarks that is uniquely Indigenous and
self-defined by Indigenous people.” – Stephanie Roy, Innovation and Research Lead (IAESC)
“Our communities, our leadership and our students yet to come through the
doors of the Indigenous Institutes, will be provided quality access and opportunities to
training and credentials that are robust, rigorous and relevant as any other credential in
the province AND now has Indigenous ways as a fundamental element of their learning
journey. They will graduate from the Indigenous Institutes well rounded, highly skilled in
their chosen field and culturally grounded. This is a day we all have dreamed and now
the collective work is before us. Indigenous Institutes will meet the training needs and
shortages with their graduates and with their credentials. This is an exciting time of
unchartered waters.” – Laurie Robinson
About the Indigenous Advanced Education and Skills Council (IAESC)
IAESC is an independent Indigenous quality assurance organization leading higher
education for Indigenous Institutes in Ontario. IAESC assesses organizational capacity
and program quality pursuant to the Indigenous Institutes Act, 2017. IAESC is at the
forefront of ensuring equitable opportunities for Indigenous peoples to access and
succeed in education and training programs, recognized independent,
Indigenous-controlled and governed entity with credential-granting authority for
Indigenous post-secondary education. The release of these standards and benchmarks
is a momentous step forward in Indigenous postsecondary education and training.
The Indigenous Institutes Act, 2017, recognizes Indigenous Institutes and the
Indigenous Advanced Education and Skills Council (IAESC) as part of Ontario’s newest
pillar in the postsecondary education and training sector. The legislation grants
authority to IAESC to:
Recommend to the Minister regarding which Indigenous Institutes should be
prescribed for the purposes of receiving funding;
Approve to Indigenous Institutes to grant diplomas, certificates, and degrees;
Approve Indigenous Institutes to use the term “university” and any derivation of
it;
Establish a quality assurance board;
Establish standards and benchmarks in assessing Indigenous Institutes; and,
Establish, and undertake to maintain, standards regarding the interests of
students at Indigenous Institutes.
Ontario is at the forefront of leading Indigenous postsecondary education and training
and shares the importance of Indigenous worldviews, languages, and knowledge for the
success of Indigenous students, communities, and Indigenous Institutes.
For more information, please contact: Jennifer Rabanillo, Communications Manager,
IAESC communications@iaesc.com
