By Breanne Massey
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The opportunity to upskill during the COVID-19 pandemic has come to life for some Métis students, thanks to a pilot project that began last fall.

Royal Roads University (RRU) Professional and Continuing Studies (PCS) is offering an 18-week culturally inclusive Professional Project Administration (PPA) program to Métis citizens through a partnership with Métis Nation of B.C. (MNBC).

“Our first cohort of 15 students will successfully graduate from the PPA Program on Feb. 26,” said Tim Brigham, RRU PCS project lead last week. “We’re implementing feedback from our graduates for the second iteration of the program and hope to enroll up to 22 student participants this April.”

Participants in the Oct. 15, 2020 to Feb. 26, 2021 session completed eight online courses through RRU PCS in the pilot program. Content from the program included courses such as: Collective Leadership, Digital Literacy, Microsoft Office Fundamentals, Project Management, Operations Management, Data Management, Proposal Writing and Business Communications.

Métis citizens from all over the province are eligible to attend the pilot program.

Going forward, each course instructor will be implementing student feedback and amending content to ensure participants are set-up for success in the workplace.

The project is funded by the Government of Canada’s Future Skills Centre and is valued at $1.3 million. 

“The purpose of our program is to empower Métis citizens with an online delivery format where participants can upskill or retrain in a program that values their culture,” said Brigham. “My team is constantly working together to ensure there’s continuous improvement applied to the PPA Program across the board. We have welcomed Métis elders and guest speakers during the pilot and offer our instructional team, as well as program participants, cultural workshops while we strive to build a culturally inclusive program and prepare our students for success in the workforce.”

Graduates from the first iteration of the program are currently working with a career advisor to practice interviewing skills, revamp their resumes and identify employment opportunities. Support for graduates through the career advisor will be ongoing, and is available to all program participants.

The second cohort is scheduled to begin on April 12, 2021 and a session for the third cohort is currently being planned for September of 2021. 

Métis citizens interested in applying for the program can contact Brigham at: [email protected] for more information.