Pathways for First Nation and Métis Youth in the Oil Sands Alison Taylor Tracy L. Friedel Lois Edge CPRN Research Report | April 2009 Alison Taylor, Tracy L. Friedel, and Lois Edge Department of Educational Policy Studies University of Alberta © 2009 Canadian Policy Research Networks Inc. Contents Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................... iii Map of Wood Buffalo .................................................................................................... iv List of Abbreviations ...................................................................................................... v Executive Summary ....................................................................................................... vi 1.0 Introduction ........................................................................................................... 1 1.1 The Case Site: Wood Buffalo, Alberta ....................................................................... 2 2.0 Colonization and a Changing Relationship between Governments and Aboriginal People .................................................................................................. 5 2.1 Changes to Way of Life for Aboriginal People in Alberta’s North ........................... 6 2.2 A Long History of Residential Schooling .................................................................. 8 3.0 Relevant Statistics: First Nation, Métis, and Inuit Youth .................................. 9 4.0 Literature Review .................................................................................................. 12 5.0 Current Policy Context .......................................................................................... 13 5.1 Partnerships between Government, Industry, and First Nations ................................ 14 5.2 Elementary and Secondary Education ........................................................................ 16 5.2.1 First Nations Education (INAC) ...................................................................... 16 5.2.2 Provincial Education (Alberta Education) ...................................................... 17 5.2.3 School Districts in Wood Buffalo ..................................................................... 18 5.3 Post-Secondary Education (PSE) ............................................................................... 20 5.3.1 Post-Secondary Student Support Program (INAC) ......................................... 20 5.3.2 Post-Secondary Education (Alberta Advanced Education) ............................. 21 5.4 Training ...................................................................................................................... 22 5.4.1 Federal Training Initiatives ............................................................................. 22 5.4.2 Provincial Training Initiatives ......................................................................... 23 5.5 Industry Education and Training Initiatives ............................................................... 25 i 6.0 Major Work and Learning Issues for First Nation and Métis in Wood Buffalo ... 26 6.1 Challenges in K-12 Education .................................................................................... 26 6.1.1 Low Quality of Schooling ................................................................................. 26 6.1.2 Small Northern School Issues .......................................................................... 31 6.1.3 Narrow Horizons and Limited Choices ........................................................... 34 6.2 Challenges in Post-18 Education and Training .......................................................... 37 6.2.1 Community Learning Needs ............................................................................. 38 6.2.2 Challenges for Students ................................................................................... 40 6.3 Challenges in Finding “Good” Work ......................................................................... 43 7.0 Summary of Key Issues and Future Directions .................................................. 47 7.1 Key Issues ................................................................................................................... 47 7.2 Future Directions: Alternate Ways of Thinking about Aboriginal Education, Training and Employment .......................................................................................... 48 7.2.1 The Importance of Aboriginal Perspectives .................................................... 48 7.2.2 Considering Racialized Oppression ................................................................ 49 7.2.3 Coordinating and Addressing Differences in the Capacity of Partners .......... 49 7.2.4 Holistic, Integrative Programming .................................................................. 50 7.2.5 Learning in the Workplace ............................................................................... 51 7.3 Postscript on the Research Process ............................................................................ 51 Bibliography ................................................................................................................... 52 Financial Support ........................................................................................................... 57 Tables Table 1. 20- to 24-Year-Olds without a High School Diploma, 2006 Census, Alberta ........... 10 Table 2. Educational Attainment, Aboriginal Identity Population Aged 25-34 in Wood Buffalo and Alberta, 2006 ............................................................................... 11 Table 3. Selected Measures for Wood Buffalo School Districts, 2006/07 ............................... 19 ii Acknowledgements We acknowledge the generosity of our interview participants and are indebted to the following people for their assistance with this study: staff at the Athabasca Tribal Council, Dr. Evelyn Steinhauer, Margo Vermillion, Marissa Boyce, Sara Loutitt, the Wood Buffalo Métis locals and Dan Beavon and Sarah Collins-Dietrich of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada. We also wish to thank Ron Saunders (CPRN) for his support throughout the research and two anonymous reviewers for their helpful comments on the draft report. iii Map of Wood Buffalo1 1 Map courtesy of the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo. iv List of Abbreviations AAAP Alberta Aboriginal Apprenticeship Program ADCS Athabasca Delta Community School (Northlands School Division) AFN Assembly of First Nations AHRDA Aboriginal Human Resource Development Agreement (HRSDC) AHRDS Aboriginal Human Resource Development Strategy (HRSDC) APCA All Parties Core Agreement ASEP Aboriginal Skills and Employment Partnership (HRSDC) ATC Athabasca Tribal Council ATEP Aboriginal Training to Employment Program (Alberta Employment and Immigration) BEAHR Building Environmental Aboriginal Human Resources CPRN Canadian Policy Research Networks CEMA Cumulative Effects Management Association (Wood Buffalo) EI Employment Insurance ERCB Energy Resources Conservation Board FNMI First Nation, Métis, and Inuit FNTEP First Nations Training to Employment Program (Alberta Employment and Immigration) GED General Equivalency Diploma HRSDC Human Resources and Skills Development Canada (formerly Human Resources and Social Development Canada) IEA Indian Education Authority (Fort Chipewyan) INAC Indian and Northern Affairs Canada IOP Integrated Occupational Program IRC industry relations corporation ISSP Indian Studies Support Program K and E Knowledge and Employability (replaced IOP – Integrated Occupational Program) MCFN Mikisew Cree First Nation (Fort Chipewyan) NAABA Northern Alberta Aboriginal Business Association NAIT Northern Alberta Institute of Technology PSE post-secondary education PSEAP Post-Secondary Education Assistance Program PSSSP Post-Secondary Student Support Program RAP Registered Apprenticeship Program RCAP Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples TLE treaty land entitlement TOWES Test of Workplace Essential Skills UCEPP University and College Entrance Preparation Program WBML Wood Buffalo Métis locals WBPAT Wood Buffalo Partners in Aboriginal Training v Executive Summary This study looks at the political, social, and economic influences on First Nation2 and Métis youth’s attitudes toward further learning and higher levels of education in the municipality of Wood Buffalo, Alberta, the site of rapid industrial development related to the oil sands in the past few decades. Linked to this, we explore some of the institutional and policy structures that support or hinder the ability of First Nation and Métis youth to finds pathways leading to sustained employment with decent pay, good working conditions, and career potential. The first five sections of this report set the context by presenting an historical overview of government-Aboriginal relations, a review of statistics related to education and training of the Aboriginal identity population in Canada and Alberta, recent literature focused on Aboriginal youth, and a description of relevant education and training policies and issues. The last two sections present our analysis of 65 interviews and focus groups involving 91 individuals, conducted between March and October 2008. Interview participants consisted of a number of Aboriginal community members, including youth aged 15 to 30 years; high school and college educators, including First Nation and Métis educators; representatives