Aboriginal student enrolment has skyrocketed at Ottawa's Algonquin College, which has been making a concerted effort to target the young and growing demographic.

Osoyoos Indian Band Chief Clarence Louie spoke Friday at Algonquin College, which has seen its number of aboriginal students increase five-fold in the last three years. (CBC)

The school now has almost 1,500 First Nations, Inuit and Métis students, totalling about eight per cent of the student body. Three years ago there were about 300.

"We have, right now, 64 different aboriginal communities sponsoring students at this college," said Denyce Diakun, the college's director of workforce and personal development.

The college hosted an event for students Friday with guest speaker Clarence Louie, a First Nations chief whose Osoyoos Indian Band in British Columbia has been successful in creating numerous businesses. The talk was followed by an invitation-only business circle meant to bring together aboriginal and Ottawa-area business executives.

"First Nation economic development is starting to become a force," Louie told CBC News. "It's starting to become a focus of some of our leaders. And the First Nation youth are starting to say, 'Enough is enough. I want a job. I'm not going to go to school and just stand in a welfare line.'"

The college has been attempting to create a strong relationship with aboriginal students over the long-term, too, focusing on a demographic that is younger than the general population and which is growing.

Outreach includes dedicated positions, services

The institution's outreach includes an aboriginal liaison co-ordinator.

"He goes out and he finds out what the needs are and what kind of programs they're looking for and what their students' experience has been," Diakun said. "And then he brings that back to the college so that…we can revisit it and figure out how best to improve it."

The school also offers supports for people coming from rural or northern communities.

"We've recently hired an aboriginal student success specialist, who's out in the departments working with the students and supporting them so that they don't feel isolated and confused," Diakun said.

Christie Cooper, from Manitoulin Island, graduates from the international trade program this year. She hopes to use her credentials on her reserve.

"Some of the students will go back to the community and help develop and modernize the community, do business with outside organizations or outside companies."

'The expectations are higher'

The aboriginal students are scattered throughout various disciplines including nursing, information technology, business and aboriginal studies.

Louise Lahache, a Mohawk woman who has been teaching aboriginal studies at Algonquin for a decade or so, says the attitude toward education has changed amongst aboriginal people, with families expecting more than just a high school diploma.

"The expectations are higher," she said. "There's a lot of people who have been role models. The young people can see that, so it's been coming from inside the families, inside the communities."