Indspire to offer more business scholarships
- EFN Staff | June 27, 2014
Indspire, the largest funder of Indigenous education outside the federal government, is pleased to announce the creation of the HSBC Indigenous Business Award, made possible by a $300,000 charitable contribution by HSBC Bank Canada. A federal government match will bring the total investment to $600,000.
The HSBC Indigenous Business Award will be awarded by Indspire to Indigenous undergraduate students studying business at post-secondary institutions across Canada.
Indspire says its own research indicates that lack of financial resources is the number one barrier for Indigenous students in completing their post-secondary education. Further, it says Statistics Canada's National Household Survey in 2011 showed that, while 27 percent of non-Indigenous students go on to university, only 10 percent of Indigenous students will acquire a university education.
"Indigenous business students have a vital role to play in shaping the economic futures of their communities and Canada as a whole," said Roberta L. Jamieson, President and CEO of Indspire. "But in order to succeed, they need to complete their studies, so we are thrilled that HSBC Bank Canada is demonstrating their support of Indigenous business students with such a strong commitment."
Paulo Maia, President and Chief Executive Officer, and Executive Sponsor of HSBC's Indigenous Canadian Employee Resource Group, HSBC Bank Canada, said: "HSBC currently offers six permanently endowed awards for Indigenous students at colleges and universities across Canada - but we want to do more. Through our commitment to Indspire, we aim to help Indigenous youth achieve their full potential."
The HSBC Indigenous Business Award will provide 188 scholarships worth $3,000 each to students over the next three years.
For more information on this and other Indspire scholarships, visit its website.