The money is part of RBC’s commitment to empowering young Canadians by improving access to skills, education and resilience they need to succeed through the RBC Future Launch program.
“We’re excited to be working with North Island College to deliver on the promise of RBC Future Launch,” said Kelly Bissell, RBC’s Regional Vice President. “RBC Future Launch is a decade-long commitment to help Canadian youth prepare for the jobs of tomorrow. We are committed to acting as a catalyst for change, bringing government, educators, public sector and not-for-profits together to co-create solutions to help young people better prepare for the future of the work through “human skills” development, networking and work experience.”
The Aboriginal Scholars program is a holistic and culturally relevant program to empower students through engaging them in the process of creating a self-constructed achievement plan, based on their individual needs. The goals can be academic, spiritual, emotional and/or physical, with the overall aim of supporting students and providing life skills to help them during their educational journey and beyond.
“With RBC’s support, we can do so much more,” said Kelly Shopland, NIC’s Executive Director of Indigenous Education. “The donation today will help NIC expand the Aboriginal Scholars program to even more Indigenous students at all campuses, as well as students learning digitally. This will ensure more Indigenous students have access to digital and on campus support for completing their studies and transitioning successfully into the workforce or further education. I want to thank RBC for their continued support of Indigenous students at NIC.”
The Aboriginal Scholars program has been a successful initiative over the last 4 years in supporting students in meeting their self-identified goals. The expansion of the Aboriginal Scholars program will support the goals in the recently launched Working Together, NIC’s first Indigenization Plan, in establishing Indigenous-centred holistic services and learning environments for learner success.
NIC Bachelor of Business Administration student Chris Scarlatti took part in the Aboriginal Scholars program. “NIC’s Aboriginal Scholar program has continued to provide me with new connections to a wide variety of support and services that I would not have known existed, especially while learning in uncertain times. Increasing my connections has heightened my business skills on the Board of Governors, Education Council, Planning and Standards Committee and NISU’s Accessibility and Equity Director. Without NIC’s Aboriginal Scholar program, I would not have gained the invaluable skills I need to pursue my CPA designation after graduation in 2022.”
About RBC Future Launch
RBC Future Launch is a 10-year, $500 million commitment to empowering Canadian youth to build meaningful careers. With a focus on networking, skills development and experience, the initiative aims to help solve the problems facing young people due to the changing landscape of the workplace.
About the NIC Foundation
The NIC Foundation has been advancing student success, education and community growth through NIC for 30 years. It supports NIC students through scholarships and bursaries, equips classrooms with current technology and ensures the best possible learning facilities are accessible on the Central and North Island. It envisions a future where every student has the opportunity to pursue post‐secondary education, train for a new career or develop employable skills to support themselves and their families.
To make a difference in the lives of post-secondary students and invest in NIC students, call the NIC Foundation at 250-334-5074 or visit https://foundation.nic.bc.ca.
