The Ausenco Foundation and the British Columbia Institute of Technology Foundation (BCIT Foundation ) are pleased to introduce the Aboriginal Trades Bank Initiative helping support Aboriginal students engaged in trades training.
Funded by an initial CAD$5,000 donation, the bank will provide eligible aboriginal trades students with up to CAD$500 each to help pay for school-related expenses such as certifications and licenses (WHMIS, Constructor Safety Training, etc.), tutoring for mandatory core courses, books and manuals, personal protective equipment, and application and transcript fees.
“This initiative reflects Ausenco’s long-standing relationship with BCIT and our desire to provide practical and timely support to Aboriginal students who may be facing financial barriers to completion of trade certification programs,” said Ausenco’s Joel Shirriff, General Manager, Optimization, North America, who worked closely with BCIT Aboriginal Services to set up this initiative.
The long term goal of the initiative is to support the necessary education and training for aboriginal people to develop skills for employment, in either their local community or, in the metropolitan Vancouver area.
“We are excited about this new partnership with the Ausenco Foundation and the very real impact it will have in assisting BCIT’s Aboriginal trades students achieve their goals in education and in life,” said Marie-Claire Concannon, Acting Director, Alumni Relations and Annual Giving.