Indigenous Careers Award
Purpose:
To encourage Indigenous Albertans (First Nations, Métis and Inuit) to pursue and complete post-secondary studies in certificate, diploma, applied degree and bachelor’s degree programs leading to high-demand career outcomes in Alberta.
Value:
$2,000 per semester, and maximum of $4,000 per academic year
Eligibility:
To receive this award, you must be enrolled in:
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- The Fall 2018 and/or Winter 2019 semester (a semester is defined as a study period of up to 17 weeks in length).
- A certificate, diploma, applied or bachelor’s degree program.
- At least 60% of a full course load (40% of a full course load if you are a student with a documented permanent disability).
- Have satisfactory academic standing, as determined by the school.
You must also meet all of these eligibility criteria:
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- Be a Status Indian/First Nations, Non-Status Indian/First Nations, Métis or Inuit and be able to provide a copy of proof of Indigenous ancestry
- Be a Canadian citizen, permanent resident of Canada or have protected person status under:
- Be a resident of Alberta. For more on Alberta’s residency requirements, see:
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- Student Aid Policy: Alberta Student Aid Operational Policy and Procedure Manual
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You must also be attending a public post-secondary school or First Nations college in Alberta offering the following high-demand career program bands:
Business
- Accounting, Finance
- Business administration and management
- Communications technologists and technicians
- Marketing
Education
- Early childhood education and childcare
- Elementary and secondary teaching
- Teaching-related fields
Health Sciences
- Health Sciences Programs including Kinesiology
Physical, Natural & Applied Sciences
- Agriculture
- Architecture and urban planning
- Biological sciences
- Computer and information sciences
- Engineering and engineering-related fields
- Natural resources and conservation
- Physical sciences
Social Sciences
Limited to the following program bands:
- Addictions Studies/Counselling/Service Worker
- Child and Youth Care
- Community Support Worker
- Social Work
Technologist Programs
- Mechanic and repair technologists and technicians
- Precision production
- Science technologists and technicians
Program/bands may vary according to program requirements at your school. Schools may also establish additional eligibility criteria.
Co-op students, students in brokered programs, and students who are participating in an official exchange may be eligible.
To be eligible, you must be enrolled in a certificate, diploma, applied or bachelor's degree program at a participating publicly funded post-secondary school in Alberta, or attending a participating First Nations college in Alberta:
Public Institutions
- Athabasca University
- Bow Valley College
- Grande Prairie Regional College
- Keyano College
- Lakeland College
- Lethbridge College
- MacEwan University
- Medicine Hat College
- Mount Royal University
- NorQuest College
First Nations Colleges
- Maskwacis Cultural College
- Nechi Institute: Centre for Indigenous Learning
- Old Sun Community College
- Red Crow Community College
- University nuhelot’ine thaiyots’i nistameyimakanak Blue Quills
- Yellowhead Tribal College
Selection:
Recipients will be selected based on:
- Minimum eligibility criteria for the Indigenous Careers Award.
- Any additional eligibility criteria set by the school.
How to Apply:
For more information on how to apply, contact the Student Awards or Scholarships Office at your school, or visit their website.
Deadlines:
Contact your school for application deadlines.
Disbursement:
Check with your school for disbursement details.