Training Programme Recognition Process

How does a college apply for recognition of its programme(s) and courses by the Canadian Forces?

Colleges that wish to apply for programme(s) recognition by the Canadian Forces (CF) must input necessary training programme information in the on-line Canadian Forces College Opportunities Directory (CFCOD). This information is required for each of the programmes for which the college wishes to seek recognition. The information provided must clearly demonstrate that the college programmes and courses meet the training requirements expressed by the CF. 

Note:  Some CF training requirements are unique to the military context. Colleges are NOT expected to be able to deliver on those requirements.

The first time a college representative wishes to input information in the CFCOD, he/she must create a user account. Once an account has been created, a request for approval will automatically be sent to the Association of Canadian Community Colleges (ACCC) which will in return, send an e-mail indicating that the account has been activated. The necessary steps to create a user account to access the CFCOD are as follows:

A)   Steps to create a user account to access the CFCOD:

1. To access the CFCOD, please click on the following link: Canadian Forces College Opportunities Directory.  This will bring you to the “Account Activation Screen – Who Are You?” which will allow you to select the group to which you belong.

2. Select “Community College, Cégep, Institute of Technology or Other Educational Institution Representative” and click “Next” at the bottom of the screen. This will bring you to the “Account Activation Screen – Create your User Account.”

Note:    Institutions that wish to search the CFCOD do not need to create a user account.

3. To create a user account, provide the necessary information and check the box “I agree to receive updates concerning the Canadian Forces College Opportunities Programme” and click “Next.”

Notes:  The username must be between 4 to 8 characters. 
If your institution name or campus is not listed on the drop-down menu, please click on the link provided under Institution name and campus to advise us.  Please make sure to include in your message the name of the institution/campus to be added.
It is imperative to check the box “I agree…” and click “Next” if you want to proceed to the next screen. 

4. This will bring you to the final “Account Activation” screen and will send a request to ACCC to create your user account. 

5. Once you receive an account confirmation from ACCC, go to the Canadian Forces College Opportunities Directory  home page and enter your username and password in the login menu provided on the left hand side of the screen to access the CFCOD.

B)  Steps required to apply for recognition of college programme(s) and course(s) by the CF:

1. Access the CFCOD by entering your username and password in the login menu provided on the left hand side of the home page.

2. Select the tab entitled “My To Do List” on the left hand vertical toolbar. This will bring you to a list of CF Training Requirements for which you may want to submit college programmes or for which you have completed partial work. 

3. To seek recognition for a college programme click on the  icon, located beside the respective training requirement, to initiate the recognition process. This will lead you to a wizard application that will guide you through the eight-step recognition process.

Eight-Step Recognition Process:

Step 1: Find a CF Training Requirement – The system bypasses this step as it automatically selects the training requirement based on the one you selected to start the recognition process. You can view the training requirement you selected by pressing on “Go back one step” which will bring you to Step 1 of the wizard. 

Step 2: Select your College Programme - Select your programme by clicking on the link “Select this College Programme” located on the right of the programme title and proceed to Step 3.

Note: If your programme is not listed, you can add it to the list by clicking on the link “click here” located above the list of college programmes.  Once the programme has been added to the list, you will be able to select it and proceed to Step 3.

Step 3: Select a Campus- Select the campus by clicking on the link “Select this Campus” located on the right of the campus title and proceed to Step 4. 

If the campus you wish to select is not listed in the list of campuses, please click on the link “contact us” to request the addition. Please provide the following information: campus name, parent college, name, position, telephone number and e-mail of the contact person at that campus. 

Note: You must complete an recognition request for each of your campuses. Geographic location and any variances between campus facilities and respective course offerings are important considerations for Canadian Forces recognition.

Step 4: Complete College Programme Details - You will be asked to provide general information about your programme including the following: coordinator’s coordinates, language of delivery, language of support, programme duration, student intake options, course load, annual programme enrolment, programme demand, facilities (including labs, residence, sports facilities), accreditations and comments. It is important to use this section to distinguish your programme and institutional facilities from other college programmes and facilities. Once you are done, click on “Save and go to next step” to proceed to step 5.

Step 5: Add Courses to your Programme - Select the “core” and “elective” courses for your programme from the list provided by clicking on the respective buttons. 

If the course you wish to add to your programme is not listed, click on the link “click here” which will bring you to the course information screen. You will be asked to provide general information about the course including the following: course code, identifier, title, link, overview, learning outcomes, instructional hours and instructional strategy. Once you save the course information, it will be added to the list. You will then need to to add the course as “core” if it is a mandatory course to graduate. 

Note:  All courses entered in the system by your institution will be available for future programme submissions. 

Step 6: Complete Recognition Process – Gap Analysis - You will be asked to identify the courses that satisfy the training needs of the Canadian Forces. You can select up to 3 courses which best align to an enabling objective. 

Note: It is not necessary to select a college course for every enabling objective. Some of the enabling objectives are specific requirements that are unique to the military.

On this screen, you can also provide additional comments which will serve to better appreciate how your college courses could satisfy the Canadian Forces Training Requirement. Once you are done, click on “Save and go to next step” to proceed to step 7.

Step 7: Review and Publish Accreditation - You will have the opportunity to review, edit and print the information you provided for this recognition process. Once you are done, click on “Publish” to send your programme submission to ACCC for review before it is sent to the Canadian Forces for evaluation.

Step 8: Thank You -  Your program information has been submitted to ACCC for review. If modifications are required to your program information, ACCC will return your submission with comments via the CFCOD before sending it to the Canadian Forces for review.
Once submitted, the Canadian Forces will take up to 30 days to notify your college about the status of your programme. A further 30 days could be required if additional time or information is needed for evaluation.

If your college receives recognition for its programme, it will be posted under the "Recognized Programmes” section of the Canadian Forces College Opportunities Directory  (CFCOD) and the Canadian Forces College Opportunities Program (CFCOP) websites.