Canadian Coast Guard College

The Canadian Coast Guard College is a maritime training college and Canadian Coast Guard facility located in Westmount, Nova Scotia - a suburb of the former city of Sydney in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.The CCGC core training program revolves around a 4-year Officer Cadet program that prepares navigation and engineering officers for service on Canadian Coast Guard ships. These cadets receive a Bachelor of Technology that is granted in collaboration with Cape Breton University. Other training programs include a 6-month program for Marine Communications and Traffic Services Officers that specializes in radiotelephony procedures for marine safety and vessel traffic services to co-ordinate and monitor vessel movements in Canada's territorial waters. Canadian Coast Guard officers that work in the nation's Joint Rescue Coordination Centres also undertake advanced training at CCGC where a mock-up of a JRCC exists for simulation and training purposes. Additionally, various courses and training programs exist for specialized positions in CCG, including administrative courses, small vessel handling, search and rescue, and environmental response.HistoryEstablished in 1965 as a residential college on the site of the former navy base located at Point Edward along the western shore of Sydney Harbour, CCGC's first mandate was to train young men in 4-year diplomas of Marine Engineering or Marine Navigation for the Coast Guard's Officer Training Program. The Officer Training Program expanded in 1973 to include women.