North Island College (NIC) is expanding access to its Transport Canada marine training with new, higher level training available this fall.
NIC offers a range of marine safety training for both people who are new to the marine industry and for those who have worked on the water for years.
This fall, in-person training at the Port Alberni and Campbell River campuses is being expanded to help meet the needs of people in the marine industry who are interested in gaining higher level certificates of competency.
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Training will be offered with COVID safety protocols in place to ensure proper physical distancing while students are on campus.
Online courses will also continue to be offered to students on Vancouver Island and beyond.
The new courses, Chartwork & Pilotage 1 (CP1) (NAU 038) and Navigation Safety 1 (NS1) (NAU 039), will be offered at the Campbell River and Port Alberni campuses for the first time.
In the past, NIC offered the Master Limited course, which allowed students to take two Transport Canada exams on the final day: Navigation Safety 1 and Chartwork & Pilotage 1. The two new courses replace the old Master Limited course, with the goal of increasing accessibility for students.
“Separating the courses allows students to focus and learn the material better,” explained Captain Harry Johnston, NIC marine training instructor. “It’s important for me to see my students not only take the course but also to move forward successfully with their careers in the industry. The objective of this course change is to help them do this more easily.”
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The change has been considered for many years, and it was difficult to navigate this year due to all the challenges faced with COVID-19.
“Transport Canada has been very supportive of this change, and we are grateful to the staff in their Ottawa office who quickly reviewed our request,” said Bob Haugen, NIC manager, contract and training services.
This fall also marks the first time NIC will offer higher level marine courses at the Port Alberni campus, thanks to the addition of Johnston to the marine training instructor team this past spring. He also worked to transition three marine training courses to online offerings, which will continue this fall as well.
“We are very excited to be expanding the marine safety training offered at NIC,” said Haugen. “By offering higher level training with the remarkable dedication, skills and experience of our instructors, including Captain Johnston, we will be able to better support the marine industry’s growing demand for people with higher level safety training.”
Registration for NIC’s marine safety training courses are open now. Visit www.nic.bc.ca/marine-training for details.