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The coming year brings new career training opportunities for Shaylyn Douglas.

Douglas will be returning to the classroom in January with her sights set on training to advance her career in health care at ���߲���Ƶ.

In addition to beginning the Practical Nursing Diploma program at the Penticton campus, Douglas received a financial boost to aid her studies when she won the $5,000 OC Tuition Giveaway Contest.

“I wasn’t sure what career path I wanted to pursue until I had the opportunity to interact with patients in the physician’s office where I worked,” says Douglas. “I was drawn to the Practical Nursing program because of those experiences.”

The opportunity to build on those health-care skills is something Douglas is looking forward to during her training at OC.

“I’ve heard good things about the program from Practical Nursing graduates. Once I knew that being involved in another person’s care was something I really enjoyed doing, the choice to continue to expand that knowledge at OC made sense,” says Douglas.

Douglas’ decision to head back to class was that much easier when she found out that she had won the OC Tuition Giveaway Contest.

“Winning the tuition giveaway has been immensely helpful for me,” says Douglas. “I will be returning to school after an extended time in the workforce and I was concerned about how I would afford tuition fees and support myself through the program. This tuition will take some of the strain off my personal savings, allowing me to focus more of my time on studying.”

Practical Nursing is just one of the programs offered at OC that begins in January. Arts, Science and Business studies allow students to pursue their academic studies, and foundational programs offer learners the opportunity to take steps toward their educational goals.

“Providing training opportunities for health-care and other in-demand careers to meet the growing needs of our community is an important part of ���߲���Ƶ commitment to our region,” says Meri Kim Oliver, Vice President Students at OC. “It is gratifying to be able to support a student like Shaylyn in pursuing her goals.”

Find out more about the adult academic and career preparation foundational programs that are available for January starts online: okanagan.bc.ca/winterstart