Kenjgewin Teg is launching its first accredited program from the Indigenous Advanced Education and Skills Council (IAESC).
President Beverley Roy says the accreditation is historical since the one-year certificate emphasizes Indigenous learning and cultural teachings and is fully transferable and recognized as equivalent to the first year of the institute’s three-year Indigenous Studies Bachelor of Arts Degree.
She adds the program will be delivered over two semesters starting next September.
The program offers courses that introduce learners to the language, Indigenous governance, and foundational knowledge of Indigenous peoples and cultures.
She explains in 2017, the Indigenous Institutes Act formally recognized nine Indigenous Institutes in Ontario, including Kenjgewin Teg, as the province’s third pillar of post-secondary education.
The Act also created a parallel quality assurance process, enabling Indigenous Institutes to accredit and deliver their own programs.
Kenjgewin Teg began this process in 2020 with a required organizational review.
In December 2021, it was officially declared an accredited Indigenous Institute by IAESC.
The IAESC is the provincial body recognized under the Indigenous Institutes Act, providing quality assurance to Indigenous Institutes through its established standards and benchmarks.
The 2026 ISP – Certificate II is the first program developed and delivered under this accreditation.
To learn more, visit www.kenjgewinteg.ca/indigenous-programs