The Town of Fort Nelson is the largest centre in the Northern Rockies Regional District, with a population of about 3,365. Fort Nelson is located at Mile 300 on the Alaska Highway, and is the major service hub in northern BC between Fort St. John and the Yukon Territory.
Fort Nelson was established as a trading post in 1805 by the Northwest Fur Trading Company, and was named for British Admiral Lord Horatio Nelson. The current town location is actually the fifth site of Fort Nelson with the first location originally about 40 miles west.
Fort Nelson’s growth was spurred by the establishment of an airport as part of the Northwest Air Staging Route in 1941, and the construction of the Alaska Highway in 1942.
The Fort Nelson Campus began to offer programming in 1976. Currently, Fort Nelson is NLC’s third-largest campus, providing a wide-range of facilities and services to students and local residents.
Programming available at the Fort Nelson Campus includes: Career and College Preparation, University Arts and Sciences, Applied Business Technology, and certain Trades and Apprenticeship programs offered periodically in partnership with local industry. Programming is delivered in-class and via videoconference.
The Workforce Training/Continuing Education department also offers a large number of courses that allow students to obtain safety and other certification needed to work in the oil and gas or other industries.
Campus services include Indigenous services, a bookstore, computer/Internet access, and financial aid.