About Wilderness Leadership
Please note: The Wilderness Leadership Certificate is now called the Advanced Wilderness Leadership Certificate and is a continuous 10 month program. Until we update the website please contact us for further information.
Upcoming Advanced Wilderness Leadership Program Information Meetings
Upcoming Program Showcase and Information Night at the North Vancouver Campus
The Faculty of Tourism and Outdoor Recreation is pleased to invite you to explore our programs, meet our faculty, discover career possibilities and hear from some of our graduates about their experiences. Mark your calendars now for one of the following Showcase and Information Nights:
Thursday, April 19th at 7:00pm
Tuesday, May 29th at 7:00pm
Please review the following sections for more information:
Why join the Wilderness Leadership Program and its highly qualified instructors?
- History: Over 35 years of experience educating students in outdoor recreation and leadership
- Location: Well placed in the Outdoor Recreation Capital of Canada – Squamish, BC
- Only one hour from Vancouver, and one hour from Whistler / Blackcomb ski resort - Adventure: Outdoor opportunities that are among the best in the world
- World class climbing routes, a multitude of lakes for paddling, multi-class rivers for kayaking and rafting, high end mountain bike terrain and quick access to alpine terrain. - Outdoor Learning: A natural classroom of rich biodiversity, old-growth forests, the Pacific Ocean, and alpine ecosystems. In fact 70% of the program is outside!
- Timing: 20 weeks to a 30-credit Capilano University Certificate in Wilderness Leadership. It begins in early August and continues until mid December.
- An additional 20 weeks for a 16-credit advanced certificate, culminating in a practicum. - Certifications: Depending on your course selection, you will leave with a variety of certifications in different outdoor disciplines.
- Faculty: Dedicated, experienced faculty who maintain strong connections with the outdoor industry. Most of our instructors are part-time faculty, but full-time outdoor professionals.
Wilderness Leadership Skills
You will acquire a diverse set of leadership-oriented skills in this intensive program. Expect to be challenged physically, mentally and emotionally as we inspire you to learn more about yourself and others. The skills courses are field based, and students’ camp for up to nine days at a time. In addition, students take six core courses that are a mixture of indoor and outdoor learning. Our instructors will be focusing on building skills that will be an asset to you for working in the outdoor industry – be in an aquatic or terrestrial environments. See below for examples of some of the skills that will be taught.
| Leadership & Group Skills | Environmental Awareness | General Guiding Skills | Specific Guiding Skills |
|---|---|---|---|
| Teambuilding | Interpretation of Natural Landscapes | Safe Guiding Practices | Rock Anchor Set Up |
| Leadership Skills | Environmental Issues | Nutrition & Meal Planning | Rock & Rope Rescue |
| Problem Solving | Weather Forecasting | Navigation & Route Finding | Paddling Efficiency |
| Risk Management | Interpretive Instruction Skills | Equipment Selection | Kayak Roll Techniques |
| Client Care | Nature History Awareness | Survival Skills | Climbing Techniques |
| Emergency Response | Environmental Stewardship | Instruction Techniques | Avalanche Awareness |
| Group & Hazard Awareness | Log Book Development | Skill Analysis | Snow Pack Observation |
Employment Prospects for Graduates
Wilderness Leadership graduates expand their skills in many diverse areas, but none more than learning about themselves and their leadership ability. Students finishing the certificate program may choose to increase their skill level through the advanced program or compliment their skills with the management techniques offered by the two-year Outdoor Recreation diploma. Some of our former students have taken the plunge and even started their own outdoor tourism businesses. Those that immediately enter the workforce have found the program prepares them for a variety of positions.
Many use their hard skills as instructors in:
- Canoe instructor/guides
- Sea kayaking instructors/guides
- Nordic ski instructors
- Hiking guides
- Rafting guides
- Climbing gym coaches
- Sailing crew
Others use the soft skills and communication skills they developed to be:
- Park information hosts
- Nature interpreters
- Municipal recreation coordinators
- Environmental centre managers
- BC Parks wardens
- Youth at Risk programmers
Some of the companies our graduates have worked for include:
- Spirit of the West Adventures
- Kingfisher Wilderness Adventures
- Go With the Flow Adventures
- Wild Play
- Canadian Outback Rafting
- Wedge Rafting
- Hollyburn Nordic Lodge
- Cross Country Connection
- Tofino Sea Kayaking
- Sea Kayak Adventures
- Nautilus Explorer
- Quark Expeditions
- Backroads Biking Tours
- Canadian Snowmobile Adventures
- Natural Coast Sailing Adventures
- Coastal Spirits Expeditions
- Ziptrek Eco Tours
The outdoor industry is a dynamic industry where employers look extensively at the experience, people skills, personality and professionalism of the employee before hiring. Not everyone is suited to work in an industry where your ability to interact positively with others is given equal, if not more emphasis than your skills and ability. We give our graduates a great start in the industry – for those driven to succeed and who have the right attitude.
Certifications Available
In approximately 20 weeks you will be able to graduate with a 30-credit Capilano University Certificate in Wilderness Leadership. Students that are accepted into the Advanced Certificate will graduate with an Advanced Wilderness Leadership Program Certificate.
Depending on the skill set you choose you will have the opportunity to receive industry certifications and guide training. The exact certifications you will receive will depend on the courses you take. Taking both the Wilderness and Advanced Wilderness Certificates will result in more certifications – many of them are offered only in the Advanced Certificate.
Here are some examples of certifications you may receive – this may change from year to year, and depending on what courses are offered.
- Avalanche Skills Training Level 1 & 2 – Canadian Avalanche Association (AWLP)
- Nordic Ski Instructor Level 1 - Canadian Association of Nordic Ski Instructors (AWLP)
- Nordic Ski Instructor Level 2 - Canadian Association of Nordic Ski Instructors (AWLP)
- Lakewater Instructor - Recreational Canoeing Association of British Columbia (WLP)
- Moving Water Level 1 – Recreational Canoeing Association of British Columbia (Water Travel Unit – WLP)
- Assistant Sea Kayak Guide – Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of British Columbia (AWLP)
- Wilderness First Responder – SIRIUS Wilderness Medicine (WLP)
- Basic Cruising Standard – Canadian Yachting Association – (WLP/AWLP)
- Raft Guide – British Columbia River Outfitters Association – (AWLP)
- Swiftwater Rescue Technician – Rescue 3 International – AWLP
- Marine VHF Operators – Canadian Power & Sail Squadron – (Sea Kayak 2 – AWLP)
Transferability to Higher Education
Upon graduation you will have the foundation of experience needed to begin a career in outdoor recreation or adventure tourism. Many students, however, decide to continue in school after they achieve their certificate. Completion of the Wilderness Leadership Certificate helps students transfer into Capilano University's Wilderness Leadership Advanced certificate or Outdoor Recreation Management diploma. From there students can apply their two years from the diploma towards a Bachelor of Tourism Management degree with a specialty in Outdoor Recreation.
