It was formed through the 1967 merger of the Collège classique de Jonquière (founded 1955 by the Oblat community) and l'École technique d'Arvida (a technical school established in 1948) becoming one of the first public colleges in the province.

Recognised by the provincial education ministry in 1984, this centre offers research and development, technical support and training to private enterprise.

The institution is also known for "Les Gaillards", intercollegiate sports teams in football, basketball, volleyball, soccer, badminton, swimming and cheer-leading.

The Cégep is also home to the Centre linguistique du Collège de Jonquière, a long-running French immersion school for teenagers and adults, which serves a clientele which has included many Ottawa civil servants and educators from other provinces who travel to Jonquière to live in French (vivre en français) for periods ranging from a three-week "crash" course to a full fifteen-week academic term.

The programme consists of a mix of classroom instruction and sociocultural activities; students are billeted with any of a hundred local host families or live in the campus residences.