A number of stakeholders told the Committee that Aboriginal people’s labour market participation difficulties were largely due to the challenges they had to face as children, in terms of early childhood education and elementary and secondary schooling. For those who complete primary and secondary education, witnesses identified challenges to entering and completing post-secondary education and made suggestions on how to meet these challenges.

A. General statistical information

The 2011 National Household Survey (NHS) shows that 87% of the general population aged 25 to 64 graduate from high school. This is significantly higher than high school graduation rates for Métis (74%), First Nations (60%) or Inuit (41%).”[6]

The Survey also showed that only 48% of Aboriginal people aged 25 to 64 years old had a post-secondary qualification,[7] compared to 65% of the non-Aboriginal population. Inversely, 29% of Aboriginal people of that age group were without any diploma, in contrast to 12% among the non-Aboriginal population.[8]

However, the educational attainment of both Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal populations has increased slowly over the generations. For example, in 2011, both groups saw an increase of about 10 percentage points in high school graduation rates between individuals who were 55 to 64 years old and those who were 35 to 44 years old.[9] However, in the case of Aboriginal people, individuals often complete their high school education only when they reach their late twenties or their thirties. Among the 20 to 24 age group, 34% were without any kind of diploma in 2011. By comparison, only 10% of non-Aboriginal people of the same age did not have one.[10]

Witnesses described the impact of these differences in educational attainment on their businesses, communities and organizations; some proposed specific recommendations.

B. Issues, promising approaches and recommendations

1. Early childhood education

In describing the importance of increasing the education outcome for Aboriginal students, a witness focussed specifically on early childhood education.[11] The federal government currently supports such programs on-reserve and for Inuit people through the First Nations and Inuit Child Care program[12] and through Aboriginal Head Start programs for First Nations, Inuit and Métis children living off-reserve.[13]

In a brief submitted to the Committee, the Métis National Council made the argument that investing in early childhood education would “provide us with the ability to start intervening in the development of our young people and to prepare them for the future well before they ever enter the job market.”[14]

RECOMMENDATION 1

The Committee recommends that the federal government continue to invest in stable and long-term funding for early childhood education programs for Aboriginal people.

2. K to 12 on-reserve

a. Federal investments in K to 12 on reserve

The Committee heard that greater funding for K to 12 and greater Aboriginal control over on-reserve education are needed to increase training and employment opportunities for Aboriginal people.

The Committee heard that current funding levels do not match resources provided to off-reserve schools:

[S]trong educational outcomes are the cornerstone upon which all successful economies are built. In the board’s view, a significant contributor to these poor outcomes is funding levels that are not keeping pace with the rapid growth of the Aboriginal population, which increased by almost 20% between 2006 and 2011, or with education funding levels provided to other Canadians.[15]

Dawn Madahbee National Aboriginal Economic Development Board

We believe that the federal government must focus primarily on improving the K to 12 education system for First Nations and Inuit people, implement funding mechanisms that are on par with provincial and territorial education systems, and in time, improve outcomes.[16]

Denise Amyot Association of Canadian Community Colleges

Witnesses told the Committee that a high-school diploma from on-reserve schools does not necessarily provide Aboriginal graduates with the basic skills they need to undertake trades training or to enter post-secondary education.[17] According to several witnesses, there is a significant gap in skills between Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal job seekers, graduates and non-graduates. As one witness explained,

Aboriginal youth fall behind mainstream youth in graduation rates and often exit the public school system with leaving-school certificates at lower levels of literacy.[18]

Karin Hunt Prince George Nechako Aboriginal Employment and Training Association

One recommendation was for ASETS programming to cover the costs of remedial training to ready students for further education and training:

ASETS programs should include the student completion of GED or upgrading of high school courses on top of employment and life skills training. The upgrading should reflect requirements of post-secondary training programs.[19]

Mary-Pat Campbell Suncor Energy Inc.

RECOMMENDATION 2

The Committee recommends that the federal government cover the cost of essential-skills, high-school-equivalency and upgrading programs to facilitate entry into post-secondary education. This funding could be delivered through a post-2015 Aboriginal labour market program such as the Aboriginal Skills and Employment Training Strategy.

b. Proposed legislation with respect to on-reserve K to 12

When departmental officials briefed the Committee, they described the intention of previously announced but not-yet-introduced legislation with respect to federal funding for K to 12 on reserve:

The proposed legislation would provide First Nations control over First Nations education, allowing them or their education authorities to develop and deliver curricula that reflect their unique linguistic and cultural needs and interests, while ensuring education standards are equivalent in quality to school systems off reserve.[20]

Chris Rainer Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development

The Committee also heard from witnesses that the anticipated legislation was a welcome initiative that could contribute to the training and employment opportunities for Aboriginal people.

We're actually as a company very excited about the new First Nation Education Act that's coming and we look forward to figuring out how to partner with our local First Nations.[21]

Heather Kennedy Suncor Energy Inc.

[The Economic Action Plan announcement with respect to the First Nations Education Act] […] is a step in the right direction toward building more self-confident individuals and youth within our areas. They will become a greater asset within our own communities, building self-assurance, contributing back to the community, and ultimately building a stronger educated nation within our own communities.[22]

Charlene Bruno Six Independent Alberta First Nations Society

c. Proximity of schools

Most witnesses that discussed the issue of geographic proximity to educational institutions for Aboriginal people living on-reserve and/or in isolated communities focused on post-secondary education. However, some witnesses also indicated that even secondary education was not available in all communities, and that students were sometimes required to travel outside their communities for high school. Difficulties encountered by Aboriginal youth in adapting to life outside their communities further contribute to low completion rates. As two witnesses explained,

Not all of [the remote fly-in communities in isolated parts of Northwestern Ontario] have high schools. So they have children that are graduating and going into grade 8 and going into grade 9 and they have to go to a school in Thunder Bay or somewhere else away from their families. It becomes a reluctance.[23]

Paul Semple Noront Resources Limited

[H]ow many of us would want to send our kids, at the age of 12 or 13, two hours away, perhaps for the week, to attend high school? Most of us don't have to deal with that. It's kind of like a perpetuation of residential schools in some way because they have to leave their families if they want to get high school education.[24]

Pierre Gratton Mining Association of Canada

Culture shock was one of the challenges witnesses described when relocation is required for education:

A significant factor for many Aboriginal youth, in particular, if they go down to a larger centre or the training program it's often a cultural shock to them and can result in distractions that can impact their success in the programs.[25]

Jay Fredericks Rio Tinto

 [O]ne of the things that our members have told us is very important, and we've also heard from educators, is the issue of transitional assistance for Aboriginal peoples because many of them do have to leave their home communities to go to high school.[26]

Susanna Cluff-Clyburne Canadian Chamber of Commerce

3. From high school to post-secondary education and training

a. Non-completion of high school

Witnesses from all sectors identified the low completion rate of secondary education by Aboriginal students, described in the opening section of this chapter, as a significant barrier to employment.

At a 38% [First Nations] graduation rate, that's a lot of missed opportunities for students to be able to participate, to choose the paths that they want to follow. A grade 12 graduation is one of those initial steps to unlocking those opportunities and keys for students, absolutely.[27]

Chris Rainer Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development

About half the population [in northern Saskatchewan] […] does not have a grade 12 education, and just 25% of the region has post-secondary education. This is a serious challenge because our operations require a highly technical and skilled workforce. Ensuring Aboriginal residents have the required secondary and post-secondary education to work in technical positions is an ongoing challenge for communities, government, and the company.[28]

Russell Mercredi Cameco Corporation

In describing the proposed legislation with respect to K to 12, officials described its intent to encourage high school completion and to ensure that high school graduation would equip Aboriginal graduates for further training and education:

[W]e want to ensure that students do have opportunities once they graduate, so they at least have a high school diploma that would be recognized to give them the opportunities to go into the workforce, into post-secondary education, or whatever choice they would like to make. Education is a key; it's an opportunity.[29]

Chris Rainer Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development

b. Raising awareness among and improving outreach to young Aboriginal students in high school

A recurring theme heard from training organizations and employers was the importance of engaging students while still in high school. This would encourage high school completion, provide information about the requirements of nearby employers and industries, offer exposure to and experience with employers, and provide role models. Providing funds to high schools, hosting conferences, and exposing students to possible employment were some of the ways in which Aboriginal organizations and industry have sought to engage high school students:

[W]e support science and technology programs in high schools. We recently made a donation of $1 million to help build a new science and technology centre at a high school in Fort McMurray which has 20% Aboriginal participation...[30]

Kara Flynn Syncrude Canada Ltd.

We […] host highly popular Soaring career conferences, motivational sessions for students in high school, industry in the classroom curriculum modules, showing our students what's possible if they stay in school in mining, journalism, oil and gas, and so on, and realizing projects working with communities directly.[31]

Chief Roberta Jamieson Indspire

What we saw in the diamond mines in the NWT was that high school completion rates were only at about 50% before the diamond mines came in. Once youth had a vision of a career, once they could see how, if they stay in school, what awaited them at the end of that, once we could demonstrate that opportunity, high school completion rates moved to north of 80%.[32]

Ryan Montpellier Mining Industry Human Resources Council

RECOMMENDATION 3

The Committee recommends that federally funded training programs for Aboriginal people encourage early exposure for students in secondary school to industries offering employment opportunities, including the resource extraction and related industries.

Witnesses also noted the importance of role models who could provide information on opportunities and on the education and training needed to benefit from them for students.

We actually have to reach the children when they're in junior high and help them figure things out. I think we need to give them more role models. We need to show them what's available because they have absolutely no idea what's out there and what they need.[33]

Valerie Bowers Mi'kmaq Employment Training Secretariat

Those Aboriginal peoples who have made a career in the trades are the best spokespersons. We believe success will breed success.[34]

Steven Schumann International Union of Operating Engineers

RECOMMENDATION 4

The Committee recommends that federally funded training programs for Aboriginal people encourage service delivery organizations to include the involvement of successful role models in their training.