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aboriginal business match
BUSINESSVANCOUVER January 19–25, 2016
Schools Pave Continued from page B1
Then she hopped on the SeaBus to go home to North Vancouver and was struck by a large ad in the terminal promoting a new offering from Simon Fraser University’s (SFU) Beedie School of B u si ness execut ive M BA program. SFU was preparing to accept a first intake of about 25 students for its executive MBA program i n a b or i g i n a l b u s i ne ss a nd leadership. Now one of t he i n au g u ra l graduates of that program, Fisher-Rivers believes she made the right choice. Not only was she able to learn at a local university that was tailoring part of its curriculum to incorporate aboriginal culture and traditions, she was also able to keep costs down by staying at home so she could help take care of her elderly mother. “The aboriginal component of the program really appealed to me,” said Fisher-Rivers, who is in her 40s. “What SFU’s program does is it includes our values, history, culture and protocol for how we do business. It also has a strong component of accounting, marketing and negotiation skills. It marries the two.” About 80% of the program is the same as the other executive MBA programs that SFU offers, program director Mark Selman told BIV. Other executive MBA programs
The aboriginal component of the program really appealed to me. What SFU’s program does is it includes our values, history, culture and protocol for how we do business. It also has a strong component of accounting, marketing and negotiation skills. It marries the two
[] Sheryl Fisher-Rivers Graduate, MBA program in aboriginal business and leadership, Simon Fraser University
at SFU, such as one that launched in fall 2015 and aims to appeal to the needs of northern B.C., similarly have slight variances from the basic program. SFU also has undergraduate offerings that include an interdisciplinary First Nations studies program, which has courses in areas such as archeology, history and women’s studies. The executive MBA program in aboriginal business and leadership is the only degree program that has both a business and an
aboriginal focus, Selman said. Fisher-Rivers explored options for funding and was able to get money from the Squamish Nation as well as what is now Indigenous and Northern Affairs Canada. She even did a community fundraising event to secure tuition so she could graduate without a student loan. “I advise young people to try out the Ch’nook program because it has marketing and accounting,” she said. “Because it is only for one year, is not as in-depth as
at SFU, where it is three years.” Other training includes the Aboriginal Business and Entrepreneurship Skills Training (BEST) program. Funding for that free program comes from federal and provincial governments as well as other bodies, including Vancity, which also has a microloan program for BEST graduates. That microloan initiative aims to fill the gap between traditional bank lending and venture capital. The most important first step toward a successful business
Rob Kruyt
career, however, is to complete high school. On that front, aboriginal youth are doing better than ever before. The percentage of aboriginal students who complete high school in B.C. has increased steadily to 63% in the last school year. That’s up from about 54% six years ago, according to B.C. Ministry of Education statistics. There is still room to improve, however, as that rate still lags behind the overall 84% high-school graduation rate. •