Adult Education and Vocational Training Yield 

As mentioned, First Nations and Inuit youth have an elevated high school dropout rate. However, the fact that they eventually go back to school and persevere is also a reality, as well as an encouraging factor to be considered in assessing the situation. First Nations and Inuit youth very often take much longer to complete their schooling than the average time for Québec students in general. Teenage pregnancies in particular, and the resulting family responsibilities, are major barriers to the continuation of studies. 

A period of renewal began in 2009, when the first Aboriginal vocational training centre specializing in construction trades opened in Mashteuiatsh, in the Lac-Saint-Jean region. The centre was the result of the collaborative efforts of the Assembly of First Nations of Quebec and Labrador, the Commission de la construction du Québec and industry and labour partners, who saw the initiative as key to Aboriginal employment in Québec’s construction industry. The talks initiated in 2008 concerning the northern economic development program, which would later become the Plan Nord, unquestionably contributed to the opening of such a training centre.

In the years that followed, the Centre de formation professionnelle pour autochtones dans les métiers de la construction, which was administratively attached to the Commission scolaire de Montréal, took over and trained large Aboriginal cohorts: heavy machinery groups in Sept-Îles; carpenter-joiner groups in Manawan and Hauterive; worksite equipment groups in Vaudreuil; electric power line installation groups in Saint-Henri-de-Lévis, and others. The customized training programs were tailored to the specific needs of Aboriginal clientele and the results were more than encouraging: a low dropout rate and a graduation rate of nearly 80%. Sadly, the centre was forced to close in 2014 due to a lack of funding.

According to the First Nations Human Resources Development Commission of Quebec (FNHRDCQ), considerable effort was made to quickly train people in the targeted fields in order to meet the needs for skilled labour in the private sector. In the opinion of Ralph Cleary and Dave Sergerie, respectively executive director and strategic advisor of the FNHRDCQ (personal interview), while this is a sound approach that shows measurable results in the short term, it is not a panacea. They stress the fact that the majority of their Aboriginal clients are out of the workforce or located far away from the job market. The primary workforce consideration is therefore the needs of the communities. That is why the FNHRDCQ’s approach focuses on job readiness: [TRANSLATION] “Most of our clients need to be stimulated, to take the first steps and get hooked again, receive support and assistance every step of the way.” That is why adult education is sometimes recommended so that people can obtain the necessary prerequisites to enrol in vocational training or obtain certification.

Adult education and vocational training are still the preferred option for Aboriginal people living both in and outside their communities. There are four First Nations regional adult education centres, located in Kahnawake, Lac Simon, Listuguj and Uashat mak Mani-utenam. In Eeyou Istchee, the Cree School Board opened a vocational training centre in Waswanipi in 2005 and, in 2016, the governments of Québec and Canada announced funding to open another one in Mistissini. In Nunavik, the Kativik School Board operates adult education centres in five communities and offers a pre-college program at a dedicated education centre in Kangiqsujuaq (2018). The Inuit also have access to two vocational training centres: one in Inukjuak, on the James Bay side, and one in Kuujjuaq, on the Ungava Bay side.