Territorial Overview

The Advanced Education Branch of the Department of Education is responsible for postsecondary education in Yukon through its student financial assistance program, student employment programs, apprenticeship program, registration of private training agencies, and support to Yukon College.

Yukon College is a multi-campus institution located entirely in Yukon. In addition to the college's Ayamdigut campus in Whitehorse, the territorial capital, there are more than a dozen community campuses throughout the territory. Campus services include career and job training programs, part-time continuing education courses, academic and vocational courses, and career information and counselling.

In addition to providing territorial residents with career-oriented training programs, Yukon College is committed to Native and Northern studies and to promoting the territory's Aboriginal cultures.

History

Yukon College traces its history to the establishment of the Yukon Vocational and Technical Training Centre in 1963. The centre became Yukon College in 1983.

The college moved to the Ayamdigut campus in 1988. The campus includes student residences, a cafeteria, a bookstore, a library, a resource centre, daycare facilities, a gymnasium, and other student services. Also located on the campus are the territorial archives, the Yukon Arts Centre, the Northern Research Institute, and the Yukon Native Language Centre, which offers certificate and diploma programs that focus on teaching, documenting, and promoting the various Native languages spoken in the territory.

Most community campuses offer classroom facilities, computers, televisions, video equipment, and small resource libraries. Some have access to distance education technologies.

Apprenticeship programs

Apprentice training was established in Yukon with the implementation of the Apprentice Training Act in 1964. Yukon apprentices gain their on-the-job training with Yukon employers and obtain in-school training through Yukon College or other institutions arranged by Advanced Education.

Programs and Credentials Offered

Yukon College:

Yukon College programs are organized into five Schools, including: the School of Access; School of Science, Trades and Technology; School of Health, Education and Human Services; School of Liberal Arts; and the School of Management, Tourism and Hospitality.

Through these schools, Yukon College offers one-year certificate programs, two-year diploma programs, and degree programming. The College is also part of the BC Council on Admissions and Transfer (www.bccat.bc.ca) and thus Yukon College credits are fully transferrable to BC post-secondary institutions. Credits are also transferrable to Alberta institutions through a new agreement with BCCAT and to many institutions outside of BC and Alberta through individual arrangement. Some block transfer agreements are in place as well for institutions within Canada and the United States.

Many of the programs at Yukon College provide an integrated Northern perspective, such as the Renewable Resource Program, the Bachelor of Education – Yukon Native Teacher Education Program offered through the University of Regina but located at Yukon College, Northern Environmental Studies, Northern First Nations Studies, Northern Justice and Criminology.

Yukon College is partnered with the KIAC School of Visual Arts and the Tr'ondek Hwech'in First Nation to provide a Foundation year that is fully transferrable to several major art schools across Canada.

The Yukon Native Language Centre, administered by the Council for Yukon First Nations, offers a three-year certificate program for Native language instructors. The centre has been in operation since 1977 and is housed at the college. Students seeking information about the certificate program should contact the centre.

While the College is now permitted to grant degrees, we are currently providing degree programming in partnership with other universities. Degrees include: Bachelor of Education and Bachelor of Social Work through the University of Regina, and the Master of Education through the University of Northern BC, and the Master of Public Administration through the University of Alaska Southeast.

Apprenticeship

As of January 2008, there are 48 trades/occupations in which apprenticeship and certification are available in Yukon. Apprentices obtain a Certificate of Qualification issued by the Department of Education upon completion of all requirements of their apprentice program. Recognition of their completion credentials extends outside Yukon through the Interprovincial Standards Red Seal Program if a Red Seal examination is available in their trade.

Admission Requirements

Secondary school includes grades 8 through 12 and is modeled on the system in British Columbia.

High school graduation is normally required for most university-level programs at the college. Required courses normally include English, algebra, social studies, and at least one laboratory science, with an overall average of C in the high school program. Special consideration is given to mature applicants who are at least 19 years old and who have completed the equivalent of high school. The college has an open admissions policy for students seeking to pursue developmental studies.

The entrance requirements for the apprenticeship program vary according to the needs of each trade and normally require high school course completion in Math, English and Science.

Tuition and Financial Assistance

For 2009/2010 full-time tuition fees are $75.00 a credit, $225 for a three credit course. Nine credits of coursework are considered the full-time minimum. College Preparation courses and College Preparation ESL courses are $50.00 a credit. Full-time vocational programs including Trades, Technology, Office Administration, and non-semestered credit program tuition fees are $1,125 per term. Tuition fees for international students, other than residents of Alaska, are $275 per credit, or between $4,950 and $8,250 per year.

The Yukon Department of Education administers a number of grant and training allowance programs for territorial residents. Yukon College provides two entrance awards per year to each Yukon graduating class. The awards amount to one year of free tuition.

There is no tuition for apprentice training. Financial assistance is normally available for apprentices to offset loss of income while attending in-school training, travel and book costs, and living-away-from-home costs where applicable through Employment Insurance funds.

Other scholarship, grant and bursary opportunities exist. Please see Yukon College Admissions or Student Services.

Revision: 23 July 2009