Aboriginal Youth

In 1996, one in three Aboriginal youth lived on-reserve. Fifty percent were attending school on either a full-time or part-time basis. This compares to 60% of the non-Aboriginal youth attending school.

The unemployment rate for Aboriginal youth is almost three times that of non-Aboriginal youth in Saskatchewan. For youth who are Registered Indians living on-reserve the unemployment rate is even higher.

Education
In 1996, 35% of Aboriginal people in Saskatchewan had at least some post-secondary education. This compares with 47% of the non-Aboriginal population.

People with post-secondary education were involved in the following fields of study:

• Engineering and applied science technology 26%
• Commerce, management and business administration 18%
• Social services and related fields 17%
• Educational, recreational and counselling services 16%

In March 2000, the Saskatchewan Indian Federated College (SIFC) completed a survey of its former students and graduates since 1978. Eighty-five percent of the graduates found full-time employment within six months of graduation.

The figure which follows shows the areas of employment for these graduates in 2000.

Eleven percent of graduates from the Saskatchewan Institute of Applied Science and Technology (SIAST) in 2000 were of Aboriginal ancestry. Six months after graduation 80% of these graduates were employed.

Read on . .