Aboriginals not attracted to engineering careers

A study done by the Canadian Council on Learning says that cultural differences are the reason Aboriginal people are under represented in science and engineering.
Released February 1, the study is entitled “Lesson in Learning.” Its authors found that while there have been increases in recent years in the number of Aboriginal people completing school and going on to further education, Aboriginal students rarely choose science and engineering for their careers. The study suggests that a reason for the lack of Aboriginals in science and engineering education is “The fundamental differences between Western science and the way Aboriginal people view the world.”
Dr. Paul Cappon, president and CEO of the Canadian Council of Learning, lamented the lack of Aboriginals’ involvement. “This a problem for several reasons — the Canadian science and technology community is largely deprived of an important and unique perspective; [while] individual Aboriginal people are missing out on interesting, well paid careers.” And he added: “Aboriginal communities are not getting the science and engineering professionals and educators they need.”
The study is available at www.ccl-cca.ca