Metis students benefit from educational partnership

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For 14 years, the Dumont Technical Institute (DTI) has been working with the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) to provide skills training to Metis students across Saskatchewan.

The institutes renewed their partnership at the end of January and, although DTI students won't notice any changes in the way their programs are provided, the new agreement signals a shift in the relationship between the two organizations.

The main change comes in the language of the agreement, presenting the arrangement as more of a partnership than previous agreements, which had placed DTI in more of a subordinate role, explained DTI principal Brett Vandale.

"Some of the language, historically, was a little bit more paternalistic, I guess. So the language just is a better reflection of the reality and a little bit more in terms of a partnership and collaboration."

The new agreement also includes a process to deal with disagreements that may arise between the two institutes, and updates the language to incorporate current skills training terminology.

"I think, especially this round of looking at the agreement and going through it with SIAST has been quite positive, and there's recognition that as time changes and things evolve so does this agreement," Vandale said. "It has to fit the current reality as opposed to what it was like 20 years ago. So I think that's been quite positive, and a good step forward for Metis people and the Metis community."

Through its arrangement with SIAST, DTI is able to offer programs that are recognized provincially and nationally, something that it would not otherwise be able to do.

"We don't have the capacity to do our own curriculum development, so this is an easy way to get that provincial and national recognition," Vandale said.

"As well, I guess, the other benefits to our organization would be just to have access and a relationship with SIAST as a post-secondary institute within the province of Saskatchewan. We do sit on their program council, which is a body within SIAST that helps look at curriculum and things along that line ... It outlines kind of a joint planning so that there's less of a duplication of services. We share with them our planning information and vice versa. And we use some of their needs assessment documents to help lay out our program planning process."

By taking programs through DTI rather than directly through SIAST, Metis students have the opportunity to study closer to home, and in an environment where their culture is not only recognized but also celebrated.

"Dumont Technical Institute is Metis specific, so a Metis student coming to our organization is going to be in a setting which has a Metis cultural component in every program," Vandale said. "So, whether it's a trades training program or business administration, we add a Metis cultural component to it to ensure that the Metis culture is renewed and people who are Metis who may or may not have participated in the culture have the chance to experience their culture.

"We also provide community-based programming, so Dumont Technical Institute takes the programming to the communities and that allows Metis people to remain in their home community and take training that's relevant," Vandale said. "Having the ability to take training in their home communities allows them to have that family support, the peer group support, etc., that's valuable and is one of those things that leads to success."

DTI is the adult upgrading and technical training arm of the Gabriel Dumont Institute of Native Studies and Applied Research. In addition to the SIAST programs it offers its students, DTI also provides training that is industry accredited as well as programs brokered through the Saskatchewan Indian Institute of Technology. For more information about Dumont Technical Institute, visit the DTI Web site at www.gdins.org/DTI.shtml.