Registration open for ‘first of its kind’ guiding and outfitting course

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. — The Northern Lights College’s (NLC) new guiding and outfitting course is set to be the ‘first of its kind’ in North America. 

The college will be offering its inaugural ‘guide foundations’ program in a hybrid setting starting from April 14th. 

The program will be split into two parts – online sessions from April 14th to May 21st and in-person sessions from June 1st to June 27th. 

Tara Hyland-Russell, vice president of academic and research for Northern Lights College, told Energeticcity.ca: “We’ve established the Wilderness Guide School at Northern Lights College, it will have three programs that are built to respond to a clearly identified workforce need.” 

The first program is the ‘guide foundations,’ which will be an introduction to guiding and outfitting. Students will learn everything from vehicle and engine operation, camp equipment, set-up and use of hunting gear as well as the phases of a guided hunt, regulations of how to prepare and how to plan species-specific hunts and post-harvest procedures.

This course will provide foundational knowledge and applied skills to help students work safely and confidently in the back country. 

Through this course, the college hopes to fulfill a need in this sector. 

Hyland-Russell said: “Guiding and outfitting is economically significant, especially in the northern and interior B.C. 

“It’s a really important sector and it requires a lot of training, sector-specific knowledge and a lot of safety training, because you’re out in the wilderness and you’re relying on your guide.” 

She said many people had approached saying: “We really need this.” 

“This would be the first North American certified program,” she claimed. 

She said one highlight of this course would be to strengthen professionalism, safety culture and long-term sustainability in the guiding sector. 

Students applying to the ‘guide foundations’ program will have 30 hours of online theory learning and one month of hands-on learning at the NLC Farm in Dawson Creek. 

Hyland-Russell said: “[People] will be ready to work for any outfit or company.” 

Guide Outfitters Association of British Columbia (GOABC), which is partnering with NLC, has members who are hiring. 

She said: “[Students] can step right into a job and start earning lots of money and doing what they want to do.” 

Scott Ellis, CEO of the association, told Energeticcity.ca: “An industry-supported certification will help develop job-ready guides for a sector that continues to seek qualified professionals. 

“This course is designed to accelerate the learning curve by combining strong theoretical foundations with hands-on, practical training.” 

The course is limited to 20 seats and registration is now open. The course will cost $9,750 + GST. 

For registration details, people can click here or call: 250-784-7587. 

For more information on the Wilderness Guide School and to get an overview of the program, click here.