As it enters its second year, enrolment at the Eeyou Istchee College of Science and Technology (EICST) has grown to 104 students while offering new courses and more professional training.
According to director general Carmen Sicilia, EICST’s programs respond to community and employer demand for staff training in northern Quebec.
The college offered professional education with Cree language courses in its first year, Sicilia noted.
“We’re offering it again this year. And because the demand was so high, we opened up two groups of Cree language,” she said.
“There are non-Indigenous individuals who are working in the region, and they want to be able to communicate with the residents,” she added. “It’s amazing how many students want to improve their Cree and be part of the revitalization momentum of preserving the language.”
French-language courses are available online, while many professional development courses are offered in person, she explained. A new addition is the Essential Skills course, a three-day retreat designed for managers working in the region.
To help organizations identify funding opportunities and navigate the application process, the college introduced grant-writing training.
EICST combines Indigenous knowledge with Western practices, which Sicilia describes as “two-eyed seeing” approach.
“That’s our philosophy,” Sicilia said. “There are two programs that are extremely important because businesses have told us there is such a need for training in Indigenous business administration, digital technology information systems and artificial intelligence.”
Sicilia pointed out that all students from last year’s Indigenous Business Administration program have found jobs. A second group with 20 available spots is expected to start in January.
“We incorporated the internship in their full-time jobs,” she explained. “We want to make sure that individuals know there is a space for them to learn, and there are definitely employment opportunities for them.”
Financial support is key to making higher education accessible, Silicia said. “Financial barriers are the number-one reason why Indigenous students don’t continue their education.”
The college currently employs 30 instructors, comprised of Indigenous and non-Indigenous professionals.
“They all go through training on how to teach in the northern Quebec with an Indigenous audience and what is Cree culture,” she said.
EICST is developing a “train the trainer” initiative that prepare Cree instructors, “to make sure that we close that gap and we prepare more Indigenous individuals to teach,” Sicilia added.
As a non-Indigenous educator, Sicilia said her work with the Chisasibi community is grounded in a commitment to equal access to education.
“For me, it’s important that everyone has equal rights,” she said. “The community wanted the college, and I have the knowledge and experience, so we’re building it together.”
For English language instructor Anne Roop, teaching at EICST is about giving students practical writing skills they can use in their workplaces. Her students practice writing, including formatting, tone, greetings and closings, while learning to distinguish facts and opinions, she said.
Roop likes her small classes as they allow her to work closely with students, who she says are “very receptive to learning and attentive.”
The community college makes post-secondary education accessible for residents who would otherwise have to leave their families or jobs. “It gives them a whole new world of freedom to be able to study,” Roop said.
Seeing students apply their knowledge in the workplace is one of the most rewarding parts of teaching, said Roop.
Chisasibi resident William Chakapash completed the college’s Indigenous Business Management program. Returning to school helped build skills he now uses in his professional life, and it landed him a job at EICST.
“It helped me improve my writing and Excel skills, as well as my understanding of technology,” he said.
Chakapash says having a college in the community will give more young people a chance to continue their studies.
“It would be good for them to start off here if they want to keep pursuing their education,” he said. “Then, once they’re ready, they can make the jump and go to college down south.”
Studying in the community meant Chakapash could continue participating in traditional activities.
“It’s important to keep your roots, so you don’t forget where you come from,” he said. “I was studying, but I was still able to go fishing and hunting and enjoy all the cultural activities that we usually do.”