Kenneth Letander

Ken Letander, Indigenous Canadian from Manitoba’s Treaty Two territory, is a Strategic Procurement Advisor of an International Engineering firm in Edmonton, Canada. With over a decade of experience working with Indigenous and rural communities across Canada, Ken has worked with the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada and the Government of Alberta

With career ambitions in sight plus a very busy schedule, Ken set out to find a program that would allow him to study completely online and connect with other busy working professionals like himself. Finding AIB, he found value instantly, with the ability to take his learnings and apply them to his work the very next day.

Three subjects in, almost a third of the way through the program we asked him about his experience so far:

How was the application process?

I always tell people in my network about how the AIB program is accredited here in Canada and how streamlined the application process was. There’s no GMAT requirement, plus there are multiple intakes throughout the year which removes the stress when applying. When I tell people this, they are really impressed and want to know more about AIB!

Most of the universities I know of here in Canada require the GMAT to do an MBA. I have had to overcome a lot of barriers to get where I am and have dedicated myself to getting there – the GMAT would have been another barrier, but AIB removed that. AIB took into consideration my professional experience, and my life experience and took it at face value.

How have you found the structure of the course?

As long as you put the time and effort in, it’s very manageable. And I have found it very relevant and applicable, so something you have studied during the week I have found myself applying the learnings in the same week. With the way it is structured, I am seeing the payoff immediately.

I like that I am assessed by papers rather than exams. I find I get far more out of doing the research and understanding the literature rather than cramming for exams. And the great thing is, I can take a paper and present it at work, I can’t do that with an exam.

How has your experience been with AIB team members?

Having a dedicated course advisor from the start and the level of customer service that AIB has shown me that they really care about student success and believe in me. As an Indigenous person, you may deal with or experience systemic issues, racism, and discouragement, and I experienced these whilst doing my undergrad in Canada.

But I found AIB very inclusive. They removed the barriers and made me realise I need to believe in myself to just take the chance. And they never asked for my ‘sad story’ or about my traumatic experiences as a First Nations person on my application processes to get into AIB, but just took me at face value and believed in me as a person.

Have you felt supported at AIB?

Very impressive. When attending my weekly webinar, I have chance to speak, I can listen to others, and the teachers make you feel included and cares about your opinion. Unlike a traditional university where you just attend a lecture, get spoken at and then leave.

Another advantage over traditional institutions is that I can contact my enrolment advisor or online learning facilitator with a question, and I get an answer back within 24 hours, whereas it may take anywhere from 48 hours to a week to hear back at other post-secondary institutions. AIB makes sure that you get the information you need as fast as possible so you can keep going with your busy schedule.

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