Assiniboine Community College has launched a new Public Safety Advanced Diploma program, adding to its programming mix in Public Safety education. This new one-year, immersive, full-time program is designed to prepare graduates for a range of careers in the public safety sector, including municipal, regional and Indigenous police services, corrections and the security field.

ACC has delivered a Police Studies certificate program for more than a decade (the only one of its kind in Manitoba) with the program expanding over the past several years in the field of Public Safety.

Recently appointed as Chair of Public Safety at ACC is retired Winnipeg Police Service Chief Jack Ewatski. Ewatski explains how the Advanced Diploma program adds to what is already being offered at the college.

The new Advanced Program delves deeper into the many facets of public safety.

Ewatski says the course aligns with the college’s overall philosophy of ‘learn by doing’ and centers around hands-on learning environments and scenario training that features a problem-based learning approach.

“Critical thinking, cross-cultural understanding, and emotional intelligence are all skills we focus on developing as graduates are entering into careers that serve communities,” says Ewatski. The retired police officer spent more than 35 years in policing and public safety including serving as Chief of the Winnipeg Police Service from 1998 to 2007.

“Policing has changed over the past 35 years on so many different levels,” he says.

“This new post-graduate credential allows us to better meet the needs of students and employers, preparing graduates for a range of community-focused careers in public safety organizations,” said Ian Grant, Special Advisor, Public Safety at Assiniboine. “The growth and expansion of our public safety programming is something we continue to put a great deal of our focus and energy behind.”

Grant spent 38 years working in public safety and retired as Chief of the Brandon Police Service in 2017. “The college environment offers career-specific education and training, and so this program provides a terrific pathway for those with undergraduate degrees in disciplines such as criminology or sociology,” he adds.

The first intake of students in the new Public Safety program will begin their studies in September 2021. The program offers two intakes a year; September and January. The move to two intakes follows discussions with police services across Manitoba who signalled more frequent entry and exit points would better serve their needs. As an advanced diploma program, students must have an existing degree or diploma from a college or university to enroll.

“Having two intakes will help align with the needs of the different agencies that are involved in public safety,” explains Ewatski. “Each one of those types of agencies has a recruiting and hiring schedule that we would like to ensure that our programs are aligned with.”

The program will be delivered at the college’s Victoria Avenue East campus in Brandon where its Public Safety Centre is located.

Those interested in enrolling in the program or learning more about whether it’s the right fit for their career goals may contact the college’s student recruitment team directly at recruit@assiniboine.net.

“I hope that this will certainly pique the interest of individuals who are right now in some post-secondary education and are looking into the future in terms of the world of Public Safety,” adds Ewatski, “and hopefully they will be excited about this and will contact us.”