. Wednesday, January 12, 201()
Vol: 1 _ Issue:14

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Aboriginal ancestry to be recognized as qualification at CNC

Editor, Confluence

CNC has received approval from
the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal
to implement a special program
allowing the college to recognize
Aboriginal ancestry as a bona fide
employment qualification for spe-
cific positions.

The three areas where
Ahoriginal ancestry can be identi-
fl. as a qualification are: employ-
ees providing direct operational,
instructional or administrative
service to primarily Aboriginal
students; employees instructing
courses where content is primarily
Aboriginal and employees offering
services and/or programs funded
through Aboriginal-specific funding
services. -

“CNC has demonstrated to
Aboriginal communities, especially
students, that they are commit-
ted to collaborative and equitable
partnerships that benefit both
partners,” said Marlene Erickson,
CNC’s Manager of Aboriginal Stu-
dent Services and Senior Policy
Advisor for Aboriginal Education
and Services. “Students need role
models and this special program
allows CNC to hire Aboriginal em-
ployees who will be role models,
av ‘yhose culture and traditions
wir enrich the entire CNC commu-
nity.”

CNC’s objective is to have
about 50 Aboriginal individuals

employed in various operational,
faculty and administrative positions
within a five-year period. CNC is
committed to achieving employ-
ment numbers that will reflect the
diversity of its communities, to
strengthen partnerships and to pro-
vide Aboriginal employees who will,
through their involvement with the
college and its students, role model
success to Aboriginal learners.

; “This is the start of a new
era of co-operation and under-
standing within the entire college
community and it is a big step in
ensuring CNC continues to be the
college of choice for Aboriginal
students,” said Ray Gerow, CNC’s
interim chair of the board of gover-
nors. “In the environment we are

in today, Aboriginal people have
many choices available to them, so
it behooves the entire college sys-
tem to ensure that we continue to
be the choice for Aboriginal people,
both as a place to go to further
their education, and the place to go
for employment.”

The original application was:

submitted to the Human Rights —
Tribunal in October, 2008 and re-
ceived approval in mid-December,
2009. It will be in effect until 2014.
“CNC has been a leader
in Aboriginal education since the
1980s, and with this new initia- _
tive we are setting a provincial

precedent in support of employing
Aboriginal people in the college
sector,” said CNC president John
Bowman. “This is a very
important step to further engaging
Aboriginal communities in educa-
tion. While we still have much work
to do implement this initiative, we
are excited about the opportunities
this new direction brings for col-
laboration and development.”

The Canadian Union of
Public Employees (CUPE) and
Faculty Association (FACNC) which
represent staff and faculty employ-
ees at CNC are in full support of
the special program. Acommittee .
of college administrators, staff and '
faculty representatives is being
established to develop implementa-:
tion and communication strategies
for the program. Non-Aboriginal
employees in positions whose ,
descriptions may be changed in the
future to include the new qualifica-
tion will not be impacted. Changes
to qualifications for existing posi-
tions will not be implemented until
those positions become vacant (i.e.
the current employee leaves or the
position terminates and a re-post- —
ing is required later).

“Implementing this ap-
proved qualification will allow CNC
to more proactively recruit and
retain Aboriginal employees across
the college,” said Bowman.