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Community Education Profile
In Waswanipi, most adults have at least one type of diploma. Many adults in the community are also interested in pursuing further education; 81% of community members are interested in going back to school, with higher rates of interest for those without a diploma. Individuals in this community value education and most are encouraged by their parents to continue with schooling, increasing the level of motivation for community members.
About half the adults in this community (52%) had a linear educational pathway, meaning they did not interrupt their studies until they graduated. Those who experienced one or more interruptions in their educational journey were less likely to have completed a diploma. Disinterest and family responsibilities were the most common reasons people withdrew from school in Waswanipi.
Waswanipi adults see the value of vocational training and adult education; however. there are some challenges that may stand in the way of returning to school. Financial concerns, parenting responsibilities, self-esteem and disinterest in existing programs were all factors that came out of our surveys and interviews. SAES will use this data to identify services and strategies that respond directly to these challenges, allowing students to be successful.
The community education profile shows us where we are. Now, it’s time to find out where we can go from here.
Through our interviews and follow-up questions, we were able to identify success factors which impact current and prospective students in Waswanipi. Understanding these factors will help us to set up services and supports that help adults achieve their educational goals.
We also found out community members’ program interests, and discovered how these interests aligned with community/employer needs (by reviewing CENA results from Apatisiiwin Skills Development and interviewing employers). This will help us select and offer programs that will support the community’s future.
It is important to note that any strategy we build must have a strong cultural foundation and a plan for continuous community collaboration.
These all must be considered as we build a local adult education strategy for Waswanipi.
Ninety-nine percent (99%) of Waswanipi community members agreed with the statement “education is important.” Despite this fact, 52% of respondents said they withdrew from school at least once, most often in Secondary III or IV. Of these, 49% say that boredom and disinterest were among their main reasons for withdrawing. This data shows the importance of creating an engaging, inspiring environment for adult students. There are a few ways we can work to achieve this:
Quality teaching. Adult education students reported that their teachers were knowledgeable (93%), easy to communicate with (90%) and understanding of the Cree culture (78%). This plays an important role in their success.
My teachers motivated me at SAES. I just wanted to learn more like… I don’t know. It’s like I was hungry for that kind of class. It is also how they were teaching too. They were really great teachers.
The teachers, yeah, they were nice. Like I had a funny teacher and… he understood how you feel.
Teachers at the secondary school level were also considered important in the educational journey, setting students up for success later on.
(In high school) my teachers are what I appreciated the most. My math teacher, English teacher, they were my favourite. My science teacher, he would explain in a way that nobody could. They helped me a lot in my schoolwork, and I guess that’s what made me more prepared for college.
Teachers are what I appreciated the most in high school. They were helpful.
On the other hand, those who experienced teacher shortages or a lack of support in school and said this played a major role in their disinterest and their decision to withdraw from school.
Honestly, it was getting bad because kids in high school don’t listen anymore and teachers are quitting their jobs. Thinking about it now, my brother would always come home saying ‘I don’t have a teacher. There’s nothing to do‘.
For sure there was lack of teachers in a lot of our classes. Especially the math and science sector. We didn’t really have much support other than getting substitute teachers almost every day.
Cultural relevance. Students shared that it was meaningful to be able speak Cree language and practice their culture at school.
I really appreciated the Cree language in that high school. Cree Language and Cree Culture was one of the classes I really liked and the teachers were nice. They talk to you in Cree instead of English and French… it has kept me grounded. It’s something I feel that grounds me but I do not practice a lot of it.
(Cree culture) is represented at Sabtuan since they provide goose break and moose break. It helps keep the culture alive.
There was also high interest in culturally relevant programs among adults in the community, as noted in the Program Recommendations section of this webpage.
Learning environment. In interviews, current and past students had positive feedback about the learning environment at SRVTC. Things that may seem small, like the friendliness of other students or a morning coffee, supported student engagement.
I’m pretty satisfied with how things are… I enjoy the hands-on classes, doing things I like to do.
Everyone’s friendly here.
They have free coffee. So, I wouldn’t have to run home to get coffee or water. They would help students when they need help. Teachers were nice.
Overall, the impact of teachers, the learning environment, and cultural relevance are all deeply important in student success. These factors not only impact engagement in school, but they can be felt long after a student leave the classroom. Supporting the hiring and retention of dedicated, engaging teachers should be a priority for SAES. We should also ensure that we continue to provide a learning environment that is welcoming, stimulating, and culturally relevant.
Actions Taken
- Implemented new recruitment strategies to support teacher hiring.
- Development of Cree-centric Teaching and Learning Framework.
- Expanded adult education team to include Coordinator of Student Success.
Next Steps
- Use new Cree-centric Teaching and Learning Framework to support culturally relevant practices in the classroom.
- Support initiatives aimed at training and recruiting Cree teachers.
- Increase services (counselling, special needs support, etc.) to support the needs of all students.
For most Waswanipi adults, family members have an extremely strong impact on educational success.
While all family members are important, the impact of parents is most evident from the ALNA data. Students who graduated with a university degree were significantly more likely have parental encouragement, compared to respondents with no degree:
Even in adulthood, family often play a role in an adult's decision to return to their studies:
My husband and my mom. I talked to them about going back to school. I told them I was thinking about it and they said ‘if you love it, do it. We’ll just be by your side. If you lose motivation, we’ll help you get back to it.'
My family encouraged me. Mostly my mom. They just told me to keep going. They encouraged me, and my mom helped me financially.
My girlfriend. There were times when I wanted to give up and then she kept like pushing me.
My parents supported me. We all finished in my family. They helped me move and they motivated me, like ‘you should go to school’.
I had children. That was the time my mother was sick too, so part of that I stayed home with her. Also, since I was under 18, I couldn’t be under welfare to pay my daycare expenses, so I stopped going to school.
My second child was born and I was missing class. They had to let me go, they were pretty strict.
I want to wait until my youngest starts kindergarten or grade 1 at least.
I had to wait until my kids were a little older.
As they get older, however, children can also help motivate parents to go back to school:
(I went back to school because) I wanted to succeed for my kids I guess. That’s my motivation. And for myself obviously [laughs].
Overall, Sabtuan Adult Education Services must honour the role of the family unit in an adult’s educational journey. It is important that we meet the unique needs of parents and encourage students to reach out to their family support systems.
Actions Taken
- Financial assistance policy includes amounts for dependants.
- Public childcare coverage now included in financial assistance for parents of young children.
- General education teachers work to develop school schedules/ assignments that align with parents’ lives.
Next Steps
- Promote our new student finaincial assistance.
- Further consider family dynamics as part of our Wellness Services/student support services.
- Provide mentors for those without close family ties.
Many potential adult education students in Waswanipi are interested in deepening their cultural knowledge and skills., with the majority showing interest in culturally relevant programs. This interest aligns with our internal priorities at Sabtuan Adult Education Services, as we are working to both offer more culture/language programs and to increase the cultural relevance of all programs and services.
Entrepreneurship is also a key interest for adults in Waswanipi. Along with considering entrepreneurial programs like "Starting a Business” and “Construction Business Management,” we can also support this interest by discussing entrepreneurial career paths in all vocational programs and goal-setting services.
The remaining program selections aligned very much with the jobs employers shared with in most demand. This is not surprising - community members are aware of the types of jobs available in the community, and often gravitate to fields where they know there is a great deal of opportunity. It is encouraging to see that there are several programs that both interest community members and meet these community needs.
We need people that have a vocational degree... We need also sometimes people with a technical degree, a DEC. And also we need some more local entrepreneurs.
- Public entity
By combining community member data with employer feedback from Apatisiiwin Skills Developments’ CENA study, we were able to identify the highest-demand programs in Waskaganish at present. This list of programs is by no means comprehensive, nor is it an official list of programs we are committed to offering. Other considerations, like feasibility of offering the program locally and the cultural component, will also be considered.
The Adult Learning Needs Assessment considered data from Apatisiiwin Skills Development (ASD)’s Community Employment Needs Assessment (CENA) in its program analysis. We also interviewed employers to follow up on the data. If you would like further information on the employment outlook in Waswanipi, please contact ASD.