This program prepares you for an exciting career as an Arctic Guide in Nunavik.

As a guide, your work will consist of guiding and supervising groups of visitors during activities, excursions (one day or less) or expeditions (more than 24 hours with at least one overnight stay).

As part of your duties, you will be able to lead a group, provide first aid, and respond to emergency situations in the Arctic environment. You will also possess the technical qualifications required to lead an activity in the Arctic environment.

As a guide, you will have the opportunity to:

• Act as an ambassador to your community to disseminate information about your activities and your work as a guide.
• Supervise a stay for a type of activity or a combination of activities, in an environment marked by changing and unpredictable weather conditions.

As a guide, you will be able to adapt to a clientele interested in the following:

• Variations in the type of trip: daily excursions with return to the departure site or multi-activity tours with overnight stays in other locations.
• Varied experiences: immersion in nature with a strong ethnocultural content, wildlife content, or focused on practicing and learning sports or outdoor activities.
• Variable levels of comfort: shelters, winter camping, resorts, hotel structures, outfitters, etc.
• Variable levels of risk: : depending on the environment (isolation, difficult terrain, etc.) or the nature of the activities or means of transportation used.
• Variable levels of intensity: soft, medium and hard adventures.

Courses may be offered in a different order. To obtain an Attestation of Collegial Studies (ACS), each course must be successfully completed.

COURSE 1: Job function and Nunavik tourism industry

• Understand the work a guide in Nunavik’s Arctic environment.
• What characterizes the role of a guide in a fragile environment like the Arctic?

COURSE 2: Inuit culture and interpretation of Nunavik’s cultural and heritage elements

• Learn and identify the progression in the history of the Inuit people.
• Be able to interpret and present cultural elements.

COURSE 3: Languages – Inuktitut, English and French

• Improve language skills.
• Develop communication skills.
• Greet clients in Inuktitut, English and French.

COURSE 4: Creating menus and dishes

• Plan menus for day trips or expeditions.
• Know how to prepare a variety of traditional recipes.

COURSE 5: Survival in the Arctic

• Recognize the risks and apply safety rules.
• Coordinate and apply techniques in summer and winter.

COURSE 6: Traditional survival techniques

• Apply survival techniques passed down by ancestors and still used today.

COURSE 7: Client approach

• Know how to lead foreign groups in northern conditions and deliver outstanding client experience.

COURSE 8: Material and equipment maintenance

• Manage the inventory and equipment.
• Apply a preventive maintenance routine.

COURSE 9: Outdoor activities in Nunavik

• Experience outdoor activities in northern conditions.
• Learn to work with evaluation and analysis grids.

COURSE 10: Preparing stay in Nunavik

• Plan the itinerary and activities and make reservations.
• Plan equipment and transportation, meals and logistics.

COURSE 11: Guiding for cultural activities in Nunavik

• Carry out practical activities and integrate them into the work of an Arctic guide.
• Measure your skills and performance while leading cultural activities.

COURSE 12: Introduction to entrepreneurship

• Familiarize yourself with basic business concepts.
• Characterize operating conditions.
• Identify business start-up partners.

COURS 13: Designing Nunavik packages

• Analyze the elements of a package by following trends in new products.
• Know how to adapt packages and seize opportunities.

COURSE 14: Guiding in summer and winter conditions in Nunavik

• These courses enable future guides to get out on the land and experience it, in summer and winter alike.
• Coordinate and lead traditional outdoor activities.
• Validate the preparations required for a planned stay and be able to finalize an activity.

Must meet the following conditions:

• Be eligible for the Artic Guide in Nunavik program, which leads to an Attestation of College Studies. The program is open to anyone whose training is deemed sufficient by the college and who meets one of the following conditions:
• Candidate’s studies have been interrupted for at least 2 consecutive terms or one school year;
• Candidate is covered by an agreement between the college and an employer or by a government program;
• Candidate has completed at least one year of post-secondary studies over a period of one year or more.

Must meet the following conditions:

• Have completed secondary training or any other training deemed relevant.
• Relevant work experience.
• Strong communication skills.
• A well-kept appearance.
• Be a resident of Nunavik.