FORT MCMURRAY, ALBERTA -- The Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC) has partnered with Keyano College to establish a $250,000 micro credit loan fund. The new Aboriginal Business Development Fund (ABDF) will provide qualified entrepreneurs in the Fort McMurray, Alberta area with loans of up to $20,000.

Keyano College, which has an established Aboriginal Entrepreneurship Program, will identify entrepreneurs who are potential loan candidates and offer them appropriate business training through mentoring and education on such topics as HR, financial planning, marketing and problem resolution.

"Keyano College has a long history of developing innovative programming such as the Aboriginal Entrepreneurship Program, which is ideally suited to the rapidly developing Fort McMurray region," said Jim Foote, President of Keyano College. "This agreement with BDC will ensure that our students are well prepared to take advantage of the unprecedented employment and business opportunities that exist in their own backyard."

Aboriginal communities show higher rates of new business and self-employment than the Canadian average, with more than 20,000 Aboriginals currently running their own businesses.

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