USW Indigenous Scholarships

We have the education of Indigenous Steelworkers and their families at heart!

The United Steelworkers is pleased to announce a new scholarship beginning in 2021 that will award six scholarships of $1,500 each to qualified Indigenous USW members and their families who are pursuing post-secondary education.

Eligibility:

USW Indigenous Post-Secondary Scholarships are open to active or retired members of the United Steelworkers, or their children, grandchildren, or immediate family members (including by birth, adoption or by other, equivalent relationship), who:

• Self-identify as First Nations, Inuit or Métis, AND
• Will attend a post-secondary educational institution in Canada (including a skilled trades program at a college or technical institute).

Priority will be given to applicants who live in remote regions and will attend school far from home in unfamiliar locations.

Applicants may be in any year of a program of studies. Scholarships will not be awarded for programs completed before the application deadline.

Successful applicants who win an award in one year may apply again in subsequent years.

Two scholarships will be awarded to applicants who live in each of these geographic areas:

• Western and northern Canada (British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Yukon, Nunavut, Northwest Territories – corresponding to USW District 3)
• Québec (corresponding to USW District 5)
• Ontario and the Atlantic (Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador – corresponding to USW District 6)

To apply:

1. Complete the application form (download or fill out online).
2. Submit either an original 3-minute video or an original 250-word written statement in either French or English on one of the topics below. (Your application will be disqualified if you plagiarize or use AI-generated content.) Videos should be posted on YouTube and the video URL included in the application form. Written statements should be in Word or PDF format and uploaded to the online application form, sent as an email attachment or printed and mailed.

The video or written statement should be on ONE of the following three topics:

• What should unions like the United Steelworkers do to promote reconciliation?
• In your opinion, what is the most important issue facing your Indigenous communities and how could the USW be an ally?
• Indigenous communities and trade unions have long histories of practising collective decision-making. What similarities do you see between being a member of an Indigenous community and being a member of a union?        

    3. Please do not include identifying information in your video or written statement.

The application form and video or written statement must be received by end of day June 30, 2025.

Choosing winning applications:

1. Winning applicants will be asked to provide proof of enrolment in an institution of higher education before an award cheque is issued.
2. Scholarships will be awarded based on the distance between home and the place of study, and on the quality of the ideas discussed in the video or written statement, as determined by an unbiased reviewer.