Intermediate Moving Water & Lake Canoe Skills | Wilderness Camping | Whitewater Rescue Technician | Sea Kayak Level 2 Skills | Assistant Overnight Sea Kayak Guide
Learn from the North’s most experienced paddling guides in our 2026 program for the 8 core elements of:
A schedule for the 2026 Northern Guide Training Program is below. Please note the program training components will be Yellowknife-based unless otherwise stated
June 1: Welcome – airport pick-ups, participants arrive. Evening dinner. Social event.
June 2-3: Whitewater Rescue Technician Course at Tartan Rapids – certified by Jackpine Paddle
June 4-5: Intermediate to Lake Canoe Tandem Skills – certified by Paddle Canada
June 6-7: Intermediate Moving Water Canoe Tandem Skills – certified by Paddle Canada
June 8-9: Participate in annual 2-day staff training for all Jackpine Paddle guides. Orientation to our facilities, guide protocols, info sessions with partners (Parks Canada, indigenous gov’ts, industry partners). Northern Guide cooking challenge in evening of June 9th.
June 10-18: SKGABC Assistant Overnight Guide course, certified by the Sea Kayak Guides Alliance of BC. In partnership with SKILS. Includes Paddle Canada Level 2 Sea Kayak Skills.
June 19-22: Canoe Tripping Course – Wilderness Camping Skills. A 3-day canoe trip (in Yellowknife area) + in-town theory session. Will cover canoe trip planning, backcountry menu preparation & food packing, gear outfitting, checklists, emergency communication. Certified by Paddle Canada
June 23: Post trip clean-up.
All certifications complete on June 24th.
If you would like to attend the program but the cost is a barrier, please get in touch with us about funding options through the Department of Education, Culture and Employment. There are a variety of funding options we can point you towards and assist you with accessing if you are un-employed, under-employed, or employed in a related field.
Call us at 1 (867) 445-4512 for more information about our paddling courses!
Interested in job training to become a paddling guide in the Canadian North? The Northern Guide Training Program is the most comprehensive guide training program in Northern Canada!
Our 2026 program will focus on whitewater paddling and lake canoe skills. This program is designed by northern guides for guiding in northern Canada. It’s a practical, hands-on program that will rigorously challenge you as you build skills & experience on 6 certified canoe courses + 1 multi-day canoe expedition + 1 multi-day kayak expedition. Program elements are staggered in a progression to stack skills & experience and continuously challenge you to take one step closer to becoming a qualified, northern wilderness guide.
You’ll gain tools for whitewater paddling, starting in easy rapids then challenging yourself in harder water and more complex situations. Become competent performing effective rescues with limited resources—and making smart decisions when river running.
During this program there will be opportunities to learn new skills in backcountry cooking, river scouting and reading whitewater, and navigation with a map & compass. We cover canoe safety and equipment in a dynamic outdoor learning environment on a whitewater canoe expedition.
Jackpine Paddle is a 100% Northern-owned and operated business located in Yellowknife, NT. We are committed to training northerners to work in the outdoor adventure industry.
Interested candidates should contact: info@jackpinepaddle.com.
Don’t have time for the Northern Guide Training Program? Check out our other courses here!
1. Being more capable to trip with my family and friends, improving both my paddle skills & my trip planning and execution skills. 2. I wish this was an experience I had as a young person, allowing me to work in the industry. Now it gives me the opportunity to enter into the industry in a more casual way and explore future career options in this industry. 3. There are definitely skills from this course that I can use in developing programs in Fort Smith through my employment through the town. 4. On a very personal level, this challenged me both physically and mentally in a way that will impact me for a long time to come. I am reminded of my personal strength and loved the connection to the land
This hands on face paced dynamic learning opportunity was the exact type of experience I needed as a hands on learner. The navigating + camping portions of the trip were also very informative in both learning new ways of navigation as well as how to respect the land we are using. HIghly recommend this course to anyone who would want to boost in self confidence and an opportunity to learn the mentioned skills.
Improved upon my introductory whitewater skills and grew my confidence in reading, running and more actively engaging in navigating in some technical sets of rapids. Tripping skills also improved with camp cooking and new gear to and learn about. Communication and teamwork were also improved upon in both bow and stern seats and with multiple partners. I found Dan to be a capable and knowledgeable instructor who was thorough, yet casual. He ensured the often diverse needs of the group were met.
The course provided me with the skills needed to become more competent and comfortable on whitewater. Learned how to read a river more efficiently and what it’s like on a long trip with multiple people. Definitely the cooking side of the trip I enjoyed especially the baking side of things. Paddling in whitewater provided a new challenge compared to flatwater. We learned some technical skills but would like to learn more, more so the strokes. Definitely a stepping stone for more growth and development. I’m very fortunate and grateful to have participated in this wonderful opportunity. Met some great people!
I have been in the North for over 2 years and Jackpine Paddle was my first opportunity to do a significant paddle trip.
It's not always about being fast all the time but taking things slow, listening to the land, the water, and teaching others. This program showed me to grow as a better person and be caring and outgoing. I recommend this for everyone who loves the land - if so this program is for you.
I learned a lot. Hopefully I become a guide and learn a lot more about how to guide. I met some nice people.
– Personal camping equipment
– Accommodations at the Jackpine Paddle staff house, $350 + 5% gst per week
A detailed personal clothing and equipment list will be emailed to participants following registration.
Should illness or safety necessitate the evacuation of one or more participants, or should a participant choose to leave a trip early for any reason, all evacuation expenses will be paid by the individual(s) involved. No refund will be paid to a participant who does not complete a trip for any reason. Please note that provincial/territorial health care plans do not cover ambulance services outside your home province. If you became ill in a remote location you may be responsible for very expensive evacuation and air ambulance charges. To protect against these costs we recommend emergency medical insurance from Group Medical Services which can be purchased online at www.gms.ca. Participants are strongly encouraged to review the policy for exclusions, particularly for pre-existing medical conditions.
The balance of your program fee is due 90 days before departure.
If you register for a trip and subsequently cancel:
There is a $100 administration fee applied to any cancellation.
The balance of your payment (to date) will be refunded for any cancellation up to 91 days prior to departure.
For notice given:
from 41-90 days, we retain 50% of the fee
from 25-40 days, we retain 75% of the fee
from 0-24 days, we retain 100% of the fee
Please read carefully: Should your paddling course have to be cancelled, postponed or altered by a force majeure (including but not limited to: weather, poor visibility, or mechanical breakdown causing delayed or cancelled charter flights or helicopter journeys, fire, flood, pandemic, highway closures, community evacuations, ongoing or newly introduced travel ban or government statement), Jackpine Paddle and its partner operators are not obligated to provide a refund or offer alternative travel services.
You might!
Indigenous candidates may qualify for ISETS funding through their regional or community band or government.
For all NWT residents, the Department of Education Culture and Employment (ECE) has two job training funds:
Under both the Employee Training Program and Skill Development Fund we are a certified training provider and there is no minimum age limit.
In other to apply for the Skill Development Fund, you’ll need to submit an application to your ECE regional office.
You can email us at info@jackpinepaddle.com for assistance or a copy of the application form.
We encourage candidates not to wait and start the application process ASAP as it can take 2-3 weeks.
Phone numbers for ECE Regional Services Centres:
While work with us is not guaranteed for program candidates – many successful candidates in past NGTP cohorts have been offered subsequent trip contracts or hired as full-time seasonal guides. Beyond certifications and experience paddling in the North, the program is a great way to get to know our guide team, owner, and operation. Networking & having fun during the program and at the staff house is a part of the experience, we have a close team and very inclusive & friendly culture. Over our 19 days together, you’ll get to know us, and we are looking forward to getting to know you!
The NGTP can also open up opportunities for further mentorship & apprentice guide roles on our remote wilderness trips – as the next step for candidates who need require additional skills & experience before becoming a fully-fledged guide.
Past candidates of the program have also found employment with other NWT tour operators, including other adventure companies & wilderness lodges.
The minimum age for unaccompanied minors in our courses is 16. Participants under the age of 16 are welcome to register if joined by a parent or guardian. Participants must be able to swim 50 m with a lifejacket but no previous paddling experience is required.
