Osside Institute

Mission

Provide senior non-commissioned members of the Canadian Armed Forces with the competencies and knowledge necessary to embody leadership that is centered on fostering the highest standards of the profession of arms.

Vision

The Chief Warrant Officer Robert Osside Profession of Arms Institute is the centre of expertise of professional military education for senior non-commissioned members of the Canadian Armed Forces and our allied partners.

About Osside Institute

Initially established in 2003 as the Non-Commissioned Member Professional Development Center (NCMPDC), the Chief Warrant Officer Robert Osside Profession of Arms Institute (Osside Institute) was later integrated in to Royal Military College Saint-Jean (RMC Saint-Jean) in 2014.

The Osside Institute was named in honour of CWO Robert Osside, who was the first Canadian Forces Chief Warrant Officer, serving in that capacity from 1978 until 1982.

The Osside Institute offers four professional development programmes to senior non-commissioned members who are called upon to take institutional responsibility. These first-rate programmes allow them to develop their knowledge and leadership at key moments in their career.

The education provided to our Senior NCMs is delivered through four distinct programs relevant to specific ranks. They are:

Through its distance learning and residential learning programs, the Osside Institute welcomes nearly 3000 candidates annually.

Osside Institute Professional Development Program (OIPEP)

The Osside Institute also offers the Osside Institute Professional Development Program (OIPEP). This program allows selected PO1/WOs to participate in a university-level program leading to an undergraduate certificate in International Studies for a full year alongside officer cadets and navel cadets. After the successful completion of the program, some candidates may be selected to remain with The Osside Institute as staff. If you are interested in the program, contact your career manager.

The Need for Non-Commissioned Member Professional Development

The critical importance of education, both academic and professional, is well documented in a number of studies undertaken over the last thirty years, such as Defence Strategy 2020, Officership 2020, and NCM Corps 2020. In order to operate effectively in a complex military environment, all members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) require crucial intellectual skills and specific competencies.

The CAF requires officers and non-commissioned members (NCMs) with outstanding intellectual ability, capable of effective command, and who have the leadership and management skills required in an increasingly uncertain world. This development can only occur in an intellectually stimulating environment, one that recognizes that the knowledge, skills and attitudes required to sustain military performance are achieved through a continuous learning experience that combines training, education, work experience and self-development.

Chief Warrant Officer Robert Osside

CWO Osside enrolled in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in 1949. He was posted to the three battalions of the Royal 22e Regiment. Throughout his career, he served with distinction at Canadian Forces bases in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Valcartier, Wainwright, Borden, Gagetown, and Ottawa, to which must be added a total of nine years in Germany. He was deployed to Korea (1952-1953) and Cyprus (1968-1969). Promoted to CWO in 1974, he served as the Infantry Corps Career Manager and then as the 1st Battalion R22eR Regimental Sergeant-Major. CWO Osside was appointed as the first CAF Chief Warrant Officer in July of 1978, holding the position until July 1982.

His place in the CAF history is undeniably significant to today’s non-commissioned members Corps. His appointment represented an elevation in the status held by non-commissioned members in the CAF up to that point. This milestone was arguably one major step towards recognition of the non-commissioned members as members of the profession of arms. CWO Osside passed away on 4 November 2010.

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