A new partnership between Selkirk College, North Island College and Northern Lights College is expanding access to mental health and substance use training, helping strengthen health care and human services workforces across the province.
A distributed delivery model of Selkirk College’s Mental Health and Substance Use (MHSU) Program gives students the flexibility to study close to home while gaining hands-on experience and building connections with local employers and service providers in the Interior, on Vancouver Island and in the North.
Learners will complete online courses through Selkirk College and then move into a practicum coordinated by their local college. “With online delivery of theory courses, the five-week practicum is in students’ home communities. This provides access for them to learn from home in rural communities," says Jan Meiers, dean, faculty of Health and Human Services at North Island College on Vancouver Island. "It is especially suited to students who cannot attend a large campus. Through this collaboration, the program is helping to build rural workforce capacity to support people with mental health and substance use challenges across British Columbia.”
First Cohort Launches this Winter
The first cohort of the partnership begins in January 2027. By mid-May, graduates across the province will be equipped with the foundational skills and training needed to pursue careers in the health care and social services sector, including roles in mental health and addictions support, community support and life skills outreach. The Government of British Columbia estimates that one in five British Columbians will be affected by a mental health and/or substance use challenge in 2026.
Graduates will earn a certificate from Selkirk College while also gaining regional work experience and local professional connections—giving them the skills, experience and networks to begin contributing to their communities soon after graduation.
“Access matters, especially in the North,” said Nicole Dahlen, dean, Health Sciences and Human Services for Northern Lights College. “This partnership gives students an opportunity to develop the skills needed to support people experiencing mental health and substance use challenges while remaining connected to their families, workplaces and communities. It also strengthens our local workforce by preparing graduates to serve the communities they already call home.”
The three colleges collaborated on this partnership due to the need for workers in the health care and human services sectors. The partnership is part of a wider collaboration between seven BC colleges serving rural and remote communities that formed with the goal of meeting regional needs.
The Mental Health and Substance Use Program reflects what is possible when post-secondary institutions work together to respond to regional workforce needs in practical and meaningful ways, explains Tammie Clarke, dean, Health and Human Services at Selkirk College. "Together, we are helping build local capacity and strengthen access to trained health and human service workers across British Columbia."
Interested in learning more? Attend an online info session or apply today!