Officer Training Program

Fitness for Life

Concentration, skill, knowledge and overall wellness are essential facets of a Coast Guard Officer. Officer Cadets need to keep themselves healthy in mind and body during training, and then take these skills with them throughout their careers in the Canadian Coast Guard. The Canadian Coast Guard College has a partnership with Cape Breton University (CBU) for its Officer Training Program fitness component.

The Fitness for Life course emphasizes health of the entire body. To achieve this goal, during the program Officer Cadets will practice time management, assess their nutritional habits, learn various sports, yoga, meditation, and environmental practices. During the four-year training program the course builds upon these components in intensity and scope.

Grades are based on participation and written assignments. During the four years Officer Cadets will assess their own objectives and progress. Assignments include charting what they eat, how they spend their time, identifying sources of stress in their life. The result is a total personal assessment on their state of wellness.

The overall goal of the course is to foster leadership, teambuilding, stress-relief, community involvement, life skills, and environmental responsibility.

Field Trips

These excursions aim at exposing Officer Cadets to the varied aspects of Cape Breton's cultural community. One field trip per term is mandatory within the course. The selection varies with weather and availability of resources. There are many options to met the diverse collection of Officer Cadets. International students, as well as Officer Cadets from other parts of Canada have the opportunity to embrace the unique qualities of the East Coast of Canada. Field trips include:

Curling, Archery, Wilderness Survival, Ice Fishing, Snow Shoeing, Skeet Shooting, Horseback riding, Downhill skiing, Vaulting, Hiking - summer and winter, Canoeing, etc.

The field trips expose the Officer Cadets to the community and provide a fresh scene away from campus. The nature of the Officer Cadet Training Program prompts students to mostly socialize with their own year. But these day trips allow Officer Cadets of all years to gather, socialize and learn together.

The program aims to expose Officer Cadets to a variety of sports and activities. The field trips do much more than just meet course requirements - they allow for growth and create an experience that cannot be obtained in any classroom.