the region when funding allows. Ucluelet Centre The Ucluelet Centre provides vital service to the west coast region of Vancouver Island by allowing students to pursue education without leaving home and to be part of a supportive community of NIC instructors, support staff and fellow students. The centre provides classroom and technology-based access to health care, business, university transfer and adult basic education courses and programs. Programs, partnerships and research Programs NIC offers 120 credit programs and pathways and just under 900 individual courses. The majority of NIC’s offerings are one- and two-year certificate and diploma programs that provide learners with pathways to further education and employment in areas such as foundation trades and apprenticeships, resource trades, technology, engineering, culinary arts, health and human services, early childhood care and education, business, office administration, tourism, adventure guiding, digital design and development and fine arts. University studies, including university dual admission and pathway programs, are key to providing the NIC region’s learners with access to degree programs. NIC also offers four-year applied degrees in business administration as well as a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in partnership with Vancouver Island University. With funding from the Ministry of Advanced Education and Skills Training, NIC began offering micro-credentials in 2020/21 - specific, short-term learning opportunities designed to facilitate learners' employment goals and/or to ladder into further education, including reskilling and upskilling. Indigenous education Indigenous education is a key focus area for NIC with 13% the NIC service area’s population being indigenous peoples (compared with 6% for the province) and 21% of NIC’s domestic student population (19% of domestic FTEs) of self-declared Aboriginal ancestry. Indigenous education at NIC is informed and guided by three central documents: 1) the TRC Calls to Action; 2) the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples; and, 3) the CICan Indigenous Education Protocol for Colleges and Institutes. Since 2015, the College has grown its Indigenous-centred supports and services, expanding priority admission to students with Indigenous ancestry in several health and human services programs. Elders in Residence at every campus support employees and students in their own communities and are integrated into academic programs. Partnerships NIC is among the most active post-secondary institutions in B.C. seeking collaborations and partnerships with secondary and post-secondary institutions to facilitate the transition of students from the K-12 system to post-secondary education and training. The College has made it a priority to expand domestic and