The Continuing Studies department offers a variety of health and safety, personal development, and cultural interest courses on the Merritt campus. All courses delivered on campus are offered on a cost-recovery basis; therefore, early registration is essential, as low enrollment will result in course cancellation. A list of upcoming course offerings is found below. Please bring government-issued photo ID with you to all courses.
LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES FOR EVERYONE
Continuing Studies
Upcoming Courses
Canadian Mental Health Association Courses
Mental Health First Aid Essentials
Participants will learn practical mental health first aid skills to recognize when someone’s mental health may be declining and respond with confidence through this streamlined one-day course.
Core Mental Health First Aid Skills
- Understanding the basics of mental health and mental well-being
- Recognizing when someone may be struggling
- Learning practical tools to respond supportively and confidently
- Building comfort in having helpful conversations about mental health
Practical Support Strategies
- Listening non-judgmentally
- Offering initial help in a supportive and appropriate way
- Encouraging professional, personal, and community supports
- Applying practical actions in workplace and community settings
Recognizing and Responding Early
- Identifying signs of declining mental well-being
- Understanding when a person may need added support
- Responding with empathy, reassurance, and respect
- Knowing when and how to encourage further help
Building Confidence and Reducing Stigma
- Strengthening confidence to respond to mental health concerns
- Reducing stigma and increasing understanding
- Supporting a more mentally healthy workplace and community
- Learning skills that can be used immediately in everyday interactions
Venue: NVIT Merritt Campus
Time: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Cost: Offered in partnership with the CMHA free of charge due to the generous support of the Canadian Red Cross.
Course Dates:
Wednesday, May 6, 2026
Wednesday, June 3, 2026
Registration Deadline:
Complete a Registration Form and return to info@nvit.ca prior to:
May 4, 2026
May 29, 2026
Trauma Informed Care
Participants will learn how to support individuals with a history of trauma through the following evidence-based framework researched and created by Oaks Mental Health:
Theoretical Framework for Understanding Trauma
- Defining trauma
- How trauma impacts relationships, neurobiology, cognition, emotions, and
spirituality - Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
- The difference between mental illness and a trauma response
- The window of tolerance model
- Fight, flight, freeze, faint, and fawn responses
Organizational/Systemic Forms of Trauma
- How organizational contexts can perpetuate trauma
- Characteristics of a trauma-informed/trauma-aware organization
- Organizational case studies in which participants identify problems and recommend changes based on a trauma-informed approach
Trauma-Informed Practitioners
- Specific examples of practice that perpetuate or exacerbate trauma responses
- Recognizing and responding compassionately to trauma responses
- Practically applying the principles of trauma-informed care
- Preventing burnout, compassion fatigue, and vicarious trauma in helping professionals
- Direct practice case studies which participants identify problems and recommend changes based on a trauma-informed approach
Venue: NVIT Merritt Campus
Time: 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Cost: Offered in partnership with the CMHA free of charge due to the generous support of the Canadian Red Cross.
Course Dates:
Tuesday, May 12, 2026
Thursday, June 18, 2026
Registration Deadline:
Complete a Registration Form and return to info@nvit.ca prior to:
May 8, 2026
June 16, 2026
Verbal Intervention® Third Edition
Verbal Intervention (VI™) is ideal for organizations with a hands-off policy, and staff who don’t experience the kind of higher risk situations that require physical interventions. VI instills the confidence and skills to verbally de-escalate disruptive behaviours and prevent further escalation.
Program Features & Benefits:
- Recognize and respond to defensive behaviours
- Understand what’s behind the behaviour
- Address the needs of the individuals
- Establish common de-escalation training communication framework
- Proactive verbal de-escalation strategies
Venue: NVIT Merritt Campus
Time: 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Cost: Offered in partnership with the CMHA free of charge due to the generous support of the Canadian Red Cross.
Course Dates:
Thursday, May 21, 2026
Registration Deadline:
Complete a Registration Form and return to info@nvit.ca prior to May 14, 2026
Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training (ASIST)
Participants will learn how to recognize and support a person at risk of suicide through the following internationally recognized, evidence-based intervention framework developed by LivingWorks:
Suicide Intervention Foundations
- Understanding suicide as a community and public health issue
- Exploring attitudes, beliefs, and assumptions about suicide
- Recognizing invitations for help and signs that someone may be at risk
- Understanding the impact of thoughts, feelings, and circumstances that can contribute to suicide risk
The Pathway for Assisting Life
- How to engage in a direct and supportive conversation about suicide
- Creating safety through a collaborative, respectful intervention process
- Exploring what contributes to risk and what supports safety
- Developing a safe plan that supports immediate safety and connection to further help
Intervention Skills Practice
- Building confidence in asking directly about suicide
- Practicing active listening, empathy, and staying present in difficult conversations
- Learning how to work with a person to reduce immediate danger
- Identifying resources and supports that can strengthen safety after the intervention
- Participating in guided simulations and interactive skill practice to apply the model in real-life scenarios
Suicide-Safer Communities
- Understanding how caregivers, organizations, and communities can play a role in suicide prevention
- Strengthening readiness to respond effectively and compassionately when someone is at risk
- Reflecting on personal wellness and the importance of support following intervention work
Venue: NVIT Merritt Campus
Time: 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Cost: Offered in partnership with the CMHA free of charge due to the generous support of the Canadian Red Cross.
Course Dates:
Monday – Tuesday, May 25 – 26, 2026
Thursday – Friday, June 25 – 26, 2026
Registration Deadline:
Complete a Registration Form and return to info@nvit.ca prior to:
May 20, 2026
June 22, 2026
First Aid Courses
Basic First Aid (formerly Level 1 First Aid)
This Worksafe BC course provides an introductory knowledge on how to identify injuries and administer first aid to injuries. It is suitable for people in these industries: small construction jobs (roofing, painting, drywall, framing, etc.), office workers, small manufacturing and assembling shops and restaurant workers. No prior first aid knowledge required to attend this course. Minimum age 15 years
Venue: NVIT Merritt Campus
Time: 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Cost: $145
Course Dates:
April 15, 2026 (Wednesday)
May 15, 2026 (Friday)
June 19, 2026 (Friday)
Registration Deadline:
1 week prior to course
Advanced First Aid (formerly Level 3 First Aid)
This WorkSafe BC course is a 2-week/70-hour program designed to further first-aid training and knowledge. The course is suitable for people in these industries: lumber mill, pulp and paper mill, medic for oil and gas in BC (Alberta may require extra training), large logging companies, large road construction and flagging. No prior first aid knowledge is required to attend this course. All students must be at least 16 years old and physically able to perform first aid. The course will cover the following topics:
- The role and duties of an Occupational First Aid Attendant
- Head-to-toe examination
- Operate oxygen therapy equipment and insert oral airways
- Medical emergencies
- Skin and soft tissue anatomy and function
- Management of soft tissue injuries
- Principles of burn management
- Ligament and tendon injuries
- Manage soft tissue injuries
- Manage oxygen therapy equipment
- Patient positioning
- Critical incident stress
- Manage Oral Airways
- Patient packaging for rapid transport
- Management of circulatory emergencies
- Manage circulatory critical interventions
- Head and brain injuries
- Neck and spinal injuries
- Immobilization
- General principles of management for fractures and dislocations
Venue: NVIT Merritt Campus
Time: 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Cost: $1,200
Minimum Age: 16 years
Course Dates:
To be announced
Registration Deadline:
To be announced
Standard First Aid with CPR 'C'
Comprehensive 2-day course offering first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills for those who need training due to work requirements. This course is a pre-practicum requirement for students in NVIT health programs. Course content includes:
- Principles of First Aid
- The EMS system
- Airway emergencies
- One and two person CPR plus child and infant
- AED (defibrillator) training
- First aid for respiratory and cardiac arrest
- Wound care
- Head, neck and spinal injuries
- Bone, muscle and joint injuries
- Sudden Medical Emergencies
- Environmental Illnesses
- Poisons (includes opioid poisoning)
Venue: NVIT Merritt Campus
Time: 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM
Cost: TBD
Course Dates:
To be announced
Registration Deadline:
To be announced
Red Cross Emergency First Aid with CPR 'C'
Basic one-day course offering lifesaving first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) skills for the workplace or home. Course meets legislation requirements for provincial/territorial worker safety and insurance boards and includes the latest first aid and CPR guidelines.
- The Red Cross
- Preparing to respond
- The EMS system
- Check, Call, Care
- Airway emergencies
- Breathing and Circulation emergencies
- First aid for respiratory and cardiac arrest
- Child & infant CPR
- Wound care
Venue: NVIT Merritt Campus
Time: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Cost: $145
Course Dates:
To be announced
Registration Deadline:
To be announced
Others
FOODSAFE Level 1
A food handling, sanitation and work safety course designed for food service establishment operators and front-line food service workers such as cooks, servers, bussers, dishwashers, and deli workers. The course covers important food safety and worker safety information including food-borne illness, receiving and storing food, serving food, cleaning and sanitizing.
Venue: NVIT Merritt Campus
Time: 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Cost: $110
Course Dates:
To be announced
Registration Deadline:
To be announced
Registration Information
Registration
Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis, and seats cannot be reserved without payment or a sponsorship form on file.
To register for any of the courses above, please complete the registration form and return it with payment to NVIT. Completed registration forms can be dropped off on campus or emailed to info@nvit.ca. Payment can be made with cash, debit or credit card on campus or by credit card over the phone. Registrations cannot be processed without payment or a sponsorship form on file. If you are being sponsored, please forward the completed Sponsor Billing Authorization Form with your registration.