A commitment has been made to increase the number of Indigenous students at the University of Saskatchewan’s (U of S) College of Engineering.
The college officially launched a new engineering access program which is part of its Indigenous Peoples Initiatives Community (IPIC).
University officials said the program is designed to help Indigenous students build the academic foundation they need to enrol in the college and provide students with ongoing support to help them complete their degrees.
It was created with support from the International Minerals Innovation Institute (IMII).
“It is important to the mining industry to help create new opportunities for Indigenous peoples in the minerals sector workforce,” IMII executive director Al Shpyth said in a press release.
“A degree in engineering provides these students with the tools and qualifications they need to become outstanding role models for the next generations of Indigenous engineers.”
U of S officials said the IPIC program supports prospective Indigenous learners with a year of academic upgrading for students that do not have the required pre-requisites to apply to the College of Engineering.
Social, academic and financial supports are available for Indigenous students in the college.
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Programming started being offered in mid-2018.
The U of S college offers eight engineering disciplines and is currently home to 1,672 undergrad students and 418 grad students.