Indigenous Awareness Training – What to look for

What do you look for when choosing an Indigenous Awareness company?

How do you evaluate what differentiates one Indigenous trainer and another?

How do you start?

We have compiled a list of how we can meet or exceed all your expectations.

If nothing else, we hope to give you a starting point of what questions to ask and how to intelligently choose the program that best meets your needs.

Indigenous Awareness Training Company Checklist

How do you evaluate a program for Indigenous Awareness training?
What makes a training program good? What makes a training program bad?

We have created a comparison checklist for you to compare the value of our program with that of any competitor.

AuthenticityYes - Indigenous Awareness CanadaCheck-no
Peer ApprovedYes - Indigenous Awareness CanadaCheck-no
Variety of Training OptionsYes - Indigenous Awareness CanadaCheck-no
Fact BasedYes - Indigenous Awareness CanadaCheck-no
Well ResearchedYes - Indigenous Awareness CanadaCheck-no
Learning Theory Best PracticesYes - Indigenous Awareness CanadaCheck-no
Current InformationYes - Indigenous Awareness CanadaCheck-no
Access to Authors/TrainersYes - Indigenous Awareness CanadaCheck-no
Live Workshops and TrainingYes - Indigenous Awareness CanadaCheck-no
Custom Live WorkshopsYes - Indigenous Awareness CanadaCheck-no
Online TrainingYes - Indigenous Awareness CanadaCheck-no
Cost EffectiveYes - Indigenous Awareness CanadaCheck-no
Large Companies & GroupsYes - Indigenous Awareness CanadaCheck-no
Group ManagementYes - Indigenous Awareness CanadaCheck-no
Group ReportingYes - Indigenous Awareness CanadaCheck-no
Online Reference ToolYes - Indigenous Awareness CanadaCheck-no
Custom Logo and BrandingYes - Indigenous Awareness CanadaCheck-no
References & TestimonialsYes - Indigenous Awareness CanadaCheck-no

Authenticity

Indigenous Awareness Canada are recognized experts in the creation of high-quality training material and customized courses.

We have worked closely with a wide array of Indigenous Elders from different First Nations, Metis and Inuit communities to ensure our material is Peer Approved and Sanctioned by the Elders. It is also approved by all levels of government, non-profit, and educational institutions from K – Post secondary.

IAC offers a great amount of flexibility when it comes to our product offerings. There are many different people who need different levels of training depending on their roles. We can work with special requirements and our team is happy to help you create custom versions of any of our courses, or work with you to produce additional content, chapters, or modules should you wish to add specific information related to your organization or the communities in which you operate. Authenticity matters.

Who are your Knowledge Keepers and Elders?

Elder Sanctioned

A variety of respected Elders from different First Nations, Métis, and Inuit communities have all sanctioned our material.

References are available upon request.

Indigenous Facilitators

Robert Laboucane, a Metis businessman originally from Fort McMurray, is Director of Indigenous Awareness Canada. He has been delivering Indigenous Awareness Training Seminars across Canada for over 30 years. His client base includes dozens of major corporations, federal government departments, individuals, educational institutions and aboriginal organizations. Mr. Laboucane was the District Superintendent for Economic Development and Employment with the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development in Alberta for three years, the Executive Director for the Calgary Aboriginal Awareness Society for three years and was the Executive Director for the Canadian Council for Aboriginal Business Alberta Chapter for seven years (1992-1999).

Material Created by Indigenous Authors

Sean Hannah is a Métis individual of Anishinaabe/Ojibwe/Chippewa descent.

Since 1998 Robert and Sean have worked together to build meaningful training programs that help improve outcomes for all Canadians.

In his role as Director of Training, Mr. Hannah continues to lead the development of our training curriculum and online programs. Sean also oversees our digital presence, brand, marketing and website. Sean leads the development of courses and all of our digital programs.

Training on Specific Indigenous Cultures

We don’t provide training on specific Indigenous Cultures. We can help you find an elder who is qualified to teach you about their culture.

Indigenous Awareness Training

General Awareness approach to training. Not specific to any 1 Indigenous culture.

Quality

With this subject matter, it is important that content is engaging, non-judgmental, fact-based, well-organized, broken up into small manageable pieces, easy-to-navigate, and contains many different elements from pictures to graphs to short videos, with lots of links to external sources and additional information. Quality counts.

Some courses are essentially just a Word document and is presented as a long bunch of plain text. Others are simply a PowerPoint-style presentation that students click through as fast as possible. Neither of these formats are as effective or impactful as training that uses high-quality educational materials and adheres to the Best Practices of Adult Learning Theory. We can work with your team to develop specific content to supplement our existing material and produce the best result possible for your organization and for the student learners.

Peer Approved

Our content has been continually approved by a wide array of Indigenous Elders, all levels of government, non-profit, and educational institutions from K – Post-Secondary. Over the years the Federal Government has relied on us for their Indigenous Awareness training.

Variety of Training Options

We have a complete learning path. 4 courses designed to provide contextual knowledge and an opportunity to specialize topical learning. Certification (general knowledge), Indigenous Peoples and Cultures (indepth knowledge), Communication and Consultation (focus on engagement and interaction) , and Outreach, Recruit and Retain Aboriginal Employment (Focus on HR).

View our Learning Paths

Fact based programs

Based on Facts more than Opinions.
All our courses are grounded in compassion and reconciliation.
You will feel welcome in our non-judgemental learning environment.

Well Researched

Our courses and live workshops are based on 20+ years of continual research, learning, presentation, vetting, and updating.

The first version of our online training was the summer of 1996 shortly after the celebration of the first ever National Indigenous Peoples Day. We ended the Current Realities module waiting for the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples to release its final report. Both Sean and Robert have been updating and expanding our content ever since.

Adult Learning Theory / Best Practices in Course Design

With a strong background in Adult Learning Theory and courseware creation, Sean Hannah began developing Mr. Laboucane’s speaking notes and workshop material into a printable workbook and a series of transparent overheads in 1996. A few year later it was upgraded to the latest technology – a PowerPoint presentation on a CD-ROM. When web-based training became more viable, Sean built and programmed a custom Learning Management System and began offering online courses.

Over the years, Sean has been involved in the creation of Interactive Courseware for The University of Calgary, Mount Royal University, and SAIT.

Current Information

Robert is diligent in watching the news, internet and moccasin telegraph. He keeps a running record of all events related Indigenous People.

We continually update our courses and live workshops with Robert’s work, Sean’s research, Statistic Canada census updates, important court decisions and other insights we can share to help our students.

Access to the Original Authors / Trainers

You can call us anytime and we are glad to hear from you. :)

Live Workshops and Training

We offer a number of complimentary workshops in a live workshop format.

In-depth courses to help you understand the perspectives and history of Indigenous peoples in Canada.

View our Live Indigenous Awareness Training Workshops.

Online Training

Accessible anywhere
Accessible anytime
Tracks Progress / Saves Progress / Start-Stop anytime
Interactive
Quizes for each module and 20+ question final exam (single choice, multiple choice, sorting matrix, fill in the blank…)
Over 80 videos.
Hundreds of graphics and photos.
Earn achievements along the way
View save, and print certificates.
Cost effective
12-month course access, saving on course bundles and bulk discounts offer great value to all students.
Large Companies & Groups
We can accommodate large companies and groups from 5 – 100,000+.
Group Management
Depending on needs users can manage their group
Group Reporting
100% Company Compliance
Full reporting for compliance purposes
Online Reference Tool
All students have access to the course material to use a reference for minimum 12 months. Users can visit as often as they like.
Custom Company Logo and Branding
Add your company logo and branding to pages. Add custom messages.

References & Testimonials

34+ years experience | 70,000+ satisfied workshop attendees
54,000+ online certifications | 1000+ clients | 3,000+ workshops

View our Testimonials.