OVERVIEW
NVIT’s Open Certificate Program provides flexible, foundational education rooted in Indigenous perspectives. It strengthens academic skills, critical thinking, and self-awareness while addressing community-identified needs. Learners gain tools to analyze contemporary challenges and pursue personal, academic, and professional growth.
This program provides a broad-based academic foundation that allows for transferability within NVIT and with external post-secondary institutions. Communities are empowered to choose courses that reflect their unique interests, priorities, and aspirations. Communities can establish a customized 30-credit course plan aligned with their specific educational objectives. With approval from the appropriate Dean, this customized course plan can include a specialization to the Open Certificate, reflecting their unique combination of courses.
This program further supports autonomy over a Community’s education and language programming, in alignment with the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the Calls to Action in the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s (TRC) 2015 Report.
To ensure the program’s applicability and transferability, courses included in the Open Certificate program must be selected from University Transfer (UT) department courses, Language Fluency courses, and/or UT qualifying Business courses as per the BC Transfer Guide. These courses are recognized for their alignment within the British Columbia Transfer Guide to provide learners with a solid foundation to pursue further education or accreditation if they choose. Course selection can be first year, second year, or a combination of both, depending on whether learners meet prerequisite requirements.
While the program embraces flexibility, courses within NVIT’s specialized programs or courses specifically linked to external accrediting bodies (e.g., nursing, social work, Indigenous health and wellness, or trades) cannot be included. These courses often have specialized requirements and are tailored to meet specific accreditation standards, which limit their transferability or applicability outside their intended programs.
Additionally, if learners decide to continue their studies after completing the 30 credits, it is important to note that while the framework of the credential is flexible, the variety of courses may not align perfectly with a specific program, potentially resulting in unusable credits and the need for additional coursework.
