Nova Scotia Community College, commonly referred to as NSCC, is a

community college A community college is a type of educational institution. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an "open enrollment" for students who have graduated from high school (also known as senior se ...

serving the province of

Nova Scotia Nova Scotia ( ; ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is one of the three Maritime provinces and one of the four Atlantic provinces. Nova Scotia is Latin for "New Scotland". Most of the population are native Eng ...

through a network of 14 campuses and three community learning centres. The college delivers over 130 programs in five academic schools: Access, Education and Language; Business and Creative Industries; Health & Human Services; Technology and Environment; and Trades and Transportation. They reflect the labour market needs and opportunities in Nova Scotia. NSCC includes four specialized institutes: the Nautical Institute, the School of Fisheries, the Aviation Institute and the Centre of Geographical Sciences. Educating over 20,000 students a year (fulltime and part-time combined), NSCC provides the majority of technical and apprenticeship training in Nova Scotia. The president of NSCC is Don Bureaux.

History

In 1872, the Halifax Marine School was established. While it would later become the NSCC Nautical Institute, at the time, it represented the first

vocational A vocation () is an occupation to which a person is especially drawn or for which they are suited, trained or qualified. People can be given information about a new occupation through student orientation. Though now often used in non-religious c ...

and technical education institution in the

Province of Nova Scotia A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outsi ...

. It was the first in a number of specialized training institutions around the province that offered education in areas such as agriculture, surveying, engineering and navigation. In 1987, the (then) Department of Vocational & Technical Training published a White Paper recommending the creation of a community college system for Nova Scotia. The establishment of this system, it argued, would bring technology, vocational and upgrading institutions together under one umbrella, and allow for the development and coordination of college programs and services at a province-wide level. This would work to meet both pan-provincial and local economic and applied education needs. In 1988, Nova Scotia became the last province in Canada to create a community college system, bringing 16 institutions together in one college system. In name, it became the predecessor to NSCC; however, it would be several years until NSCC was established in its current form. In 1992, two more campuses joined the college system from their respective school boards, and in 1995 the closing Nova Scotia Teacher's College became an NSCC site. NSCC became autonomous from the Province of Nova Scotia in 1996 by incorporating itself as an independent institution with a Board of Governors (An Act Respecting Collège de l’Acadie and Nova Scotia Community College). Since then, the NSCC network of campuses has evolved into a province-wide, community-based, community college, with polytechnical, applied arts and health science educational programs.

Campuses and locations

The Nova Scotia Community College occupies 14 campuses, located in: * Bridgewater (Lunenburg Campus) * Dartmouth (Akerley Campus) (Ivany Campus) * Halifax (Institute of Technology) *

Kentville Kentville is an incorporated town in Nova Scotia. It is the most populous town in the Annapolis Valley. As of 2021, the town's population was 6,630. Its census agglomeration is 26,929. History Kentville owes its location to the Cornwallis River ...

(Kingstec Campus) * Middleton (Annapolis Valley Campus) * Port Hawkesbury ( Shelburne_(Shelburne_Campus) *_Springhill,_Nova_Scotia.html" ;"title="Shelburne,_Nova_Scotia.html" ;"title="trait Area Campus) * Shelburne, Nova Scotia">Shelburne (Shelburne Campus) * Springhill, Nova Scotia">Springhill (Cumberland Campus) * Stellarton (Pictou Campus) * Sydney (Marconi Campus) * Truro, Nova Scotia, Truro (Truro Campus) * Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, Yarmouth (Burridge Campus) The Aviation Institute is part of Ivany Campus and is housed in a building near the Ivany Campus. The Nautical Institute is located in the Strait Area Campus. The School of Fisheries is located in the Shelburne Campus. The Centre of Geographic Studies, often referred to by the acronym COGS, is part of Annapolis Valley Campus and is located in a separate site in Lawrencetown. There are also two Community Learning Centres located in Amherst (part of the Cumberland Campus) and Digby (part of the Burridge Campus). The Strait Area Campus also offers programs in Wagmatcook First Nation at the Wagmatcook Learning Centre. On November 27, 2017, the Province of Nova Scotia and NSCC announced plans to relocate Marconi Campus to downtown Sydney. The specific location, on Sydney's waterfront, was announced by the Province of Nova Scotia and NSCC on August 2, 2019.

Specialized institutes

Nautical Institute

NSCC's Nautical Institute offers

Transport Canada Transport Canada (french: Transports Canada) is the department within the Government of Canada responsible for developing regulations, policies and services of road, rail, marine and air transportation in Canada. It is part of the Transporta ...

-approved marine training for students who want to start or advance their career at sea. Students learn in specially designed marine facilities, including a wave tank, free-fall lifeboat and fire training centre, and with state-of-the-art simulation equipment for navigation and engine room training. The Nautical Institute is part of the college's Strait Area Campus. The predecessor of the Nautical Institute is the Halifax Marine School.

School of Fisheries

The School of Fisheries offers a wide range of training programs to meet the needs of the fish harvesting industry and for small vessel operators. Courses are offered at the facility in Shelburne, at locations throughout Nova Scotia and around the world.

Aviation Institute

The Aviation Institute is located on Pleasant Street at the Dartmouth Gate building (former Moirs Plant).

Centre of Geographic Sciences

The Centre of Geographic Sciences (also known as COGS) in Lawrencetown is Canada's largest geomatics-focused learning environment. COGS is often featured on the television program The Curse of Oak Island. NSCC staff, faculty and graduates frequently work on screen and behind the scenes of the program.

CCKC - 88.9 The Platypus

The Ivany Campus in Dartmouth is home to an online radio station that brands themselves "The Platypus". The station is managed by students of the Radio, Television & Journalism program.

References

External links

Nova Scotia Community College
{{authority control Colleges in Nova Scotia Educational institutions established in 1996 1996 establishments in Nova Scotia Dartmouth, Nova Scotia Middleton, Nova Scotia Yarmouth, Nova Scotia Amherst, Nova Scotia Education in Halifax, Nova Scotia Bridgewater, Nova Scotia Truro, Nova Scotia Education in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality