Rupertsland Institute – RLI Structural Assessment
Information Meeting: November 16, 2017 – 10:00am – 12:00pm
Proposal Submission Deadline: December 1, 2017 – 5:00pm Alberta Time Project Completion: March 31, 2018
About Rupertsland Institute
The Rupertsland Institute (RLI) is incorporated as a Section 9 non-profit company and appears in the Alberta Corporate Registry (2010) as Rupertsland Institute Métis Centre of Excellence. RLI is an affiliate of the Métis Nation of Alberta (MNA) and carries a triple mandate in education, training and research. As an affiliate, owned by the MNA, RLI operates under business plan principles and strategic priorities identified through annual planning and target setting processes.
The RLI Board largely consists of members from the University of Alberta, Métis professionals and business owners and the MNA Provincial Council. Collectively, the nine-member Board operates under policy governance and reports directly to the owner (the MNA) as represented by the MNA Provincial Council. The Provincial Council in turn reports to its members via Annual General Assembly. For funding purposes, RLI also reports to federal and provincial funding agencies as required by the respective funding agreements.
RLI departments operating under one of the three mandates, offer programs and services across the province through centralized financial services and a decentralized service delivery model called “Métis Training to Employment Services.” RLI Associate Directors bring different perspectives and operational advice to the Chief Executive Officer under the umbrella of a Senior Management Team (SMT). The SMT meets monthly and serves as a sounding board for policy development and strategic goal setting.
Since inception, RLI has carried the mandate to support Métis students attending post-secondary studies. In 2013, the MNA expanded this mandate to include primary and secondary education – Kindergarten to Grade 12. As such, RLI has attempted to engage provincial education authorities on policy matters such as the Ministry of Alberta Education, Alberta College of Superintendents and the Alberta School Boards Association. In 2015, RLI created the Alberta Métis Education Council; a body composed of Métis academics and education experts to act as a standing committee and advisor to RLI’s education division.
RLI delivers labour market programs and services through its Métis Training to Employment division, through a network of 10 MTE offices spread across the province and two Mobile Employment Services units.
In its 2016-17 annual report, RLI reported that 946 (funded) clients as having found employment following a training intervention. Métis Training to Employment services includes employment counselling, action plan development, funding for short-term training and support for final year of college or university. RLI partnerships with public and private stakeholders allows for development in group-training projects that are regional or provincial in nature. A 2014 sample study of 1,496 RLI clients found that combined lifetime earnings increased dramatically due to increased education achievements.
Scope of Assessment
Rupertsland Institute is interested in conducting a Structural Assessment of the Rupertsland Institute including a review and critique of the RLI governance, administration and service delivery structures. The assessment will be from the perspective of an Indigenous organization that is close to the community and where traditional separation lines between the civil service and the political realm are often blurred. As an Indigenous organization, RLI has limited and prescribed financial resources.
In addition, the Structural Assessment must consider RLI’s goals for expansion that may include, but are not limited to developing the Rupertsland Institute for Teaching and Learning, the Rupertsland Technical Institute and the Rupertsland Institute Essential Skills Laboratory. Moreover, institutional expansion could include early learning and childcare programs near Métis communities in Alberta.
Contact Information
Attention:
Joan Isaac, Director of Operations
Email: jisaac@rupertsland.org
Telephone: 1.855.616.9977 or 780.801.9977
Address: #2300, 10123 – 99 Street, Edmonton, AB. T5J-3H1
Guido Contreras, Deputy Director of Operations
Address: #2300, 10123 – 99 Street, Edmonton, AB. T5J-3H1