SASKATOON, Oct. 13, 2011 /CNW/ - The Right Honourable Paul Martin will be joined by partners Scotiabank and the Opaskwayak Cree Nation at The Oscar Lathlin Collegiate in The Pas, Manitoba to launch the first on-reserve Martin Aboriginal Education Initiative (MAEI). Supported by Scotiabank, the program will be available for Grade 11 and 12 students.

The Aboriginal Youth Entrepreneurship Program encourages students to stay in school where they can develop the attitudes, knowledge, and skills necessary to achieve success in secondary school, postsecondary education or training, the workplace, and daily life. Students are given entrepreneurial experience and the opportunity for business ownership.

Scotiabank has partnered with MAEI to invest in the future of First Nations students in Canada through funding for the implementation of Aboriginal Youth Entrepreneurship programs in on-reserve high schools.