JIBC and Yukon College commit to three more years of collaboration

Exploring Future Partnerships to the Benefit of Students

Building on pre-existing collaborations —  Primary Care Paramedic training and Conflict Resolution courses — Justice Institute of British Columbia (JIBC) and Yukon College in Whitehorse are signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) today that commits both post-secondary institutions to continue to work together over the next three years.

“We’ve had a very positive relationship with Yukon College and we would like to see that continue and deepen to contribute to the shared strengthens at both institutions and in meeting community needs,” said JIBC President Dr. Michel Tarko. “This MOU paves the way for further collaboration in courses, programs, and offers possibilities for specific areas of applied research."

“Offering JIBC programs with Yukon College enables students who would not easily be able to travel to the Lower Mainland of BC to access the experienced faculty and training that JIBC has been delivering locally, nationally and internationally for the past 30 years,” said Dr. Tarko.

“Partnerships, like this one with JIBC, are a necessary and vital way for Yukon College to expand learning opportunities for Yukon students and provide access to nationally recognized professional training,” said Yukon College President Dr. Karen Barnes. “By working together to train local faculty for JIBC programs we are ensuring the sustainability of these programs and our partnership into the future.”

This MOU focuses on:

• Encouraging transfer students;
• Developing collaborative courses, programs and projects that respect each Institute’s unique mandates;
• Joint pilot programs;
• Collaboration via professional development, applied research partnerships and submission of joint proposals.

Beginning with the offering of five JIBC conflict resolution courses more than a decade ago, the JIBC-Yukon College partnership expanded in 2011 to offer about 14 Conflict Resolution courses and the Associate Certificate in Workplace Conflict. The Primary Care Paramedic Program just completed its first offering at Yukon College this spring and is gearing up for a second offering scheduled for winter 2014.

“Our educational programming to date has been able to meet specific training and education needs in the areas of justice and public safety in the Yukon and we know there is additional partnership activity to develop and implement with clear benefits to students,” said Dr. Laureen Styles, JIBC Vice President Academic.

Yukon College offers over 40 programs, ranging from degrees to certificates in the following subject areas: health, education and human services; science; liberal arts; management, tourism and hospitality; mining and technology; trades; and continuing education and training. Across our 13 campuses in Yukon we teach with a northern perspective, while ensuring that many of our courses and programs transfer seamlessly into college and universities in the South. Yukon College is home to the Yukon Research Centre, conducting innovative research and development specific to Canada’s north.

Justice Institute of British Columbia is a one-of-a-kind post-secondary institution focused on public safety and justice education that offers training regionally, nationally and internationally. We train police, paramedics, firefighters and emergency responders, sheriffs, and correction officers, and provide comprehensive programs – from certificates to degrees - in aboriginal leadership, conflict resolution and social justice topics. Faculty members, instructors and workshop leaders teach face-to-face, online, via video-conferencing and through pioneering simulation scenarios to share their specialized expertise with more than 27,000 students annually in more than 20 countries.