Need

The 1996 Census of Canada estimated that 11% of Saskatchewan's population, or 109,540 people, were Aboriginal. Of this number at least 35,885 are identified as Métis (1999, Women's Secretariat). While non-Aboriginal society tends to be aging, the aboriginal population is extremely young in comparison with more than half of the population under 25 years of age. When one combines the fact that the bulk of the Aboriginal population is either currently in, or soon to enter, their childbearing years, with the fact that the birth rate among the Aboriginal population is three times greater than that of non-Aboriginal society, it is clear that the demographics of Saskatchewan will change dramatically in the near future (Aboriginal Workforce Participation Initiative, 1998). The Role of the School Interim Report (2000) stresses the significance of this changing demographic, "by 2016 a full one-third of Saskatchewan's population will be of Aboriginal descent and nearly half of the children ages 5 to 17 will be Aboriginal: already today, in some medium-sized urban centers, the student population of Aboriginal descent is estimated to be 40% and even higher. (p.55)"

Once these projections become reality, they will present a number of challenges for the province. Studies and statistics clearly indicate that the province's Aboriginal population experience higher levels of poverty and its accompanying social problems. It is also a well-known fact that Aboriginal people have not been able to access the benefits of post-secondary education to the same extent as the non-Aboriginal community. These social issues present a challenge for the province's future. If Aboriginal people are to become full participants in the provincial economy, we must find creative avenues to allow for the redistribution of wealth and work towards a new economic reality in which Aboriginal people are fully contributing participants. As a major constituent of Saskatchewan 's work force in the twenty-first century, Aboriginal people need greater access, input and participation into post-secondary educational institutions. To efficiently address these challenges, education and training must work in tandem with social, economic and employment strategies.