MITT and Yellowquill College Creates New Pathways for Indigenous Learners in Manitoba
Originally posted: March 10, 2017
JOINT MEDIA RELEASE
Agreement creates new pathways for Indigenous learners in Manitoba
Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology (MITT), Yellowquill College, to collaborate on opportunities that make education delivery more effective and better serve learners, employees, and communities
Pictured: John Schubert, Chair, MITT Governing Board; Paul Holden, President and CEO, MITT; Chief Ken Chalmers, Birdtail Sioux First Nation; Doreen Beauchamp, Director, Yellowquill College
The Manitoba Institute of Trades and Technology (MITT) and Yellowquill College signed a memorandum of understanding today comprising three primary commitments:
Program pathways and student mobility – the recognition of prior learning to help students move between programs and institutions bydeveloping articulation and transfer arrangements between existing and new programs.
Capacity utilization and sustainability – an examination of how the organizations might share resources – including equipment, faculty, and curriculum – to ensure education is delivered in a cost-effective and sustainable manner that better serves learners, employees, and communities.
Supporting economic growth and social innovation – joint initiatives that further advance opportunities for Indigenous students and those that build on both institutions’ strengths to meet the needs of employers.
Indigenous people comprise the fastest growing demographic group in Manitoba and are a vital component of its present and future workforce. The province’s labour market forecasts that most new jobs created in Manitoba will require some form of post-secondary education. Creating greater education pathways for Indigenous learners in Manitoba is essential for the continued health and prosperity of Manitoba and its communities.
“We are pleased to partner with MITT and take another step towards closing the gap between the need for education and its availability to First Nations learners throughout Manitoba,” says Doreen Beauchamp, Director of Yellowquill College. “Through this agreement, Yellowquill College and MITT are making the education needs of all Manitobans a priority.”
MITT President and CEO Paul Holden stated the importance of such agreements in terms of delivering results for students and employers in Manitoba.
“In an economy as diverse as Manitoba’s, we create and adapt learning to align with trends in the labour market,” says Holden. “This partnership will allow students to take advantage of greater training opportunities and ensure that they are workforce-ready upon graduation.”
The terms of the MOU between MITT and Yellowquill College begin immediately and are in effect until June 2019. Parties to the agreement will meet annually to explore opportunities for collaborative action and confirm annual work plans.
For more information, contact:
Jeremy Brooks, Manager of Public Relations (MITT)
Office: 204-989-2874 Mobile: 204-806-4491
Email: jeremy.brooks@mitt.ca
About MITT
MITT provides innovative pathways to quality high school, post-secondary education, and apprenticeship training in partnership with industry and the communities we serve. MITT is dedicated to ensuring its graduates successfully transition to employment or further post-secondary education.
About Yellowquill College
Since its founding in 1984 by the Dakota Ojibway Tribal Council, Yellowquill College has always been a place of exciting opportunities and a learning environment that respects and understands the individual needs of its students. As a First Nation owned and operated post-secondary institute, we provide students a quality and culturally relevant education, which, upon graduation, provides them a springboard to promising employment.
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