First responders and community social service providers, including those who get their training at NBCC, face high-risk situations on the job on an almost daily basis. With the establishment of a Centre of Excellence for Community and Protective Services at the Miramichi Campus, their training can now better prepare them for real world encounters.
The Centre provides applied research, training, and simulation opportunities to students in NBCC’s Justice Studies, Pre-Employment Firefighter, Early Childhood Education, Educational Assistant, Social Services Community Worker, and Mental Health Certificate programs. It’s also used by community and protective services partners for professional development training needs.
“The driving and use-of-force simulators, together with the community and family dynamics simulation lab, are really improving the learning experience for our students as they prepare for the high-risk field of work they’ve chosen,” said Karen White O’Connell, Dean of Arts and Community and Protective Services at NBCC. “The Centre has also opened up a lot of new applied research opportunities in the areas of family support, domestic violence prevention, and mental health.”
In developing the Centre of Excellence, NBCC has collaborated with several community and post-secondary partners, including the Miramichi Police Force, RCMP, Correctional Service of Canada, Atlantic Police Academy, Office of the Fire Marshal, Department of Justice and Public Safety, Department of Social Development, Horizon Health, UNB, Cape Breton University, and Humber College.
“This collaboration between community and public agencies will strengthen the systems in place to respond to difficult situations,” said White O’Connell.
The Centre of Excellence also allows for new customized training opportunities for the community and protective services sector in response to industry needs.
