Learning & Programs
Okanagan resident sharpens skills with Continuing Studies program
February 7, 2023
Vernon resident Keith Schmaltz spent most of his career working in the heavy-duty equipment industry. But after a nearly 40-year career, he decided he wanted to learn some new skills and continue that career in a related field. Enter ߲Ƶ Continuing Studies department, offering programs and courses to suit all different learning needs. Keith enrolled in the Professional Industry Driver program, offered by ߲Ƶ in collaboration with Taylor Pro Training and BC Forest Safety Council. The program is funded by the Gov...
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Former ‘Top Chef’ takes the reins at ߲Ƶ Infusions restaurant
January 17, 2023
Fans of Canada’s Top Chef will recognize the name of the new Executive Chef at Infusions. Ruth Wigman, whose 20-year career has taken her coast to coast, brings a fresh and exciting perspective to the restaurant at ߲Ƶ staffed by Culinary Arts students. Wigman, who was a contestant on the Food Network’s Canada’s Top Chef program in 2014, most recently worked as the executive sous-chef at the Fairmont Vancouver Airport for over three years. Before that, she worked at the Fairmont Jasper Park Lodge and the Fairmount Southampton ...
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߲Ƶ launches sponsored trades training opportunity to help open doors, create job-ready workers in Salmon Arm
January 6, 2023
Students with limited or no previous experience in trades can access training that will lead to employment and future careers in construction, thanks to a program that starts at the end of January at ߲Ƶ Salmon Arm campus. ߲Ƶ will be offering an intake of the Construction Craft Worker program starting on Jan. 30 at the College’s Salmon Arm Trades Centre. “This new program is supporting students to gain the skills they need now, helping them get good jobs in industries where communities need them,” said Selina...
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Meet Aaron Edis, Electronics Engineering alumnus
December 2, 2022
Q: What’s your hometown? Where are you now? A: Burnaby and Kelowna. I now live in Salmon Arm, B.C. Q: What years did you attend OC? A: 2008 to 2010 Q: How did you end up at ߲Ƶ? A: I was living in Kelowna at the time and I was interested in Electrical/Electronics, perhaps an engineering degree. I figured the college was the place to start since I could be a technologist after 2 years of school and then had the option to start working if I chose. That, and ...
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Partnership helping to fill staffing gaps in hospitality and tourism industry
December 1, 2022
Like many industries, the hospitality and tourism sector has been hard hit by staff shortages over the past few years with a declining youth population and an aging workforce combining to create significant challenges. But a new program designed in partnership by ߲Ƶ (OC) and the Thompson Okanagan Tourism Association (TOTA) will help to reduce those shortages. The first of four new cohorts of students enrolled in the Hospitality Professional Program this fall, a flexible program open to students anywhere in the Thompson-Oka...
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Meet Jedidiah Forrest, OC Electronics Engineering alum
November 29, 2022
Q: What years did you attend OC? A: 2014-2016 Q: How did you end up at ߲Ƶ? A: Engineering technology programs caught my eye. Needed a career path change. Q: How did you choose your program? A: I applied to all three engineering programs and Electronic Engineering Technology responded first. Q: What did you like most about the program? A: The immersion was incredible. Every day is a science whirlwind, and labs were fantastically engaging. The staff is made of ca...
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Prospera gives big in support of Women in Trades at ߲Ƶ
November 28, 2022
More women will get a chance to lace up their work boots and take the first step in a career in trades, thanks to a recent $79,660 gift from Prospera to a program at ߲Ƶ that has already trained over 1,300 women since it was founded. The Women in Trades Training program was created to remove barriers for women interested in pursuing trades education and help meet the community’s surging need for skilled trades professionals. “These bursaries and added equipment provide opportunities for women to pursue trades tr...
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߲Ƶ to host Kelowna campus open house, program spotlights this Saturday
November 17, 2022
Soaring careers in aviation. Sustainable building for the future. Life-changing health care roles. The social sciences that help us understand and better our world. The trades that keep our province and country running. Business skills for the leaders of today and tomorrow. Upgrading that opens doors to new career paths. How to apply and finance your education. All this and more will await guests to ߲Ƶ Kelowna campus Open House this weekend. ߲Ƶ is opening its doors to the community on Saturday, Nov. 19 from 10...
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Thorpe and Friends Scholarship recognizes two ߲Ƶ students
October 26, 2022
Local students say the generosity of two prominent Penticton philanthropists is helping them take the next steps in their education. Since 2006, former MLA Rick Thorpe and his wife Yasmin John-Thorpe, along with their friends, have given more than $160,000 in scholarships to students in need at ߲Ƶ Penticton Campus. Two of this year’s recipients, Wylie Rowan and Mattias Van Bergeyk, received $2,500 to put toward their education. Both students are Summerland Secondary School grads in their first year of studies at Oka...
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Real Adulting 101
October 11, 2022
Students at ߲Ƶ (OC) have a new opportunity to learn skills they will need to take into adulthood with a unique new partnership between OC and Kelowna company Real Adulting 101. “We should’ve learned about this in high school. How many times have you said this while sitting down to do your taxes, or after the incredibly overwhelming process of buying your first home?” said entrepreneur and founder, Brittany Clough, who developed Real Adulting 101. Real Adulting 101 and ߲Ƶ have joined forces to offer the Real Adu...
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OC improves access to childcare training for infant-toddler care
October 5, 2022
Training to care for infants and toddlers in childcare settings has never been easier to access. ߲Ƶ is holding a special intake for the Early Childhood Education (ECE) Infant-Toddler Certificate program that is designed to enhance access for those already working in the field of childcare. Classes are part-time and held online, making it easy for those to balance work and training. “߲Ƶ has heard from people working in the childcare sector that they want to expand their professional scope to include infants and ...
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Meet Bella Cotton, OC Engineering student
September 20, 2022
Q: How did you end up at ߲Ƶ? A: I was debating between UVic, UBCO and OC. I was accepted into all of these programs, and UVic with a scholarship, but a few teachers and UBCO students persuaded me into coming to OC. They said that the teachers are great, the class sizes small, and it’s cheaper! Q: How did you choose your program? A: I am doing the General Engineering Transfer Program that transfers to UBCO in second year. I’ve always loved math and physics and wante...
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Evening marking 15 years of OC Writing and Publishing program celebrates creative community
September 12, 2022
Writers and fine artists in the North Okanagan have found a lot of reasons to celebrate this fall. Fifteen years’ worth of reasons, to be exact. The community of poets, fiction and creative non-fiction writers are coming together for Celebrating 15 Years of Writing and Publishing, an evening devoted to the collective showcase of students, alumni, instructors and former faculty members. “We have such a dedicated and talented community of writers, with a long history of promoting creativity in the region. This is a significant milestone fo...
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New ‘Step into Steel Toes’ course invites women to try carpentry
August 29, 2022
Home renovations on your to-do list? Curious about power tools and considering a project? ߲Ƶ is launching a new trades exploratory program this fall – exclusively for women. “More and more women are expressing an interest in learning skills related to carpentry, electrical, plumbing, automotive and sheet metal projects,” says Teresa Kisilevich, associate dean, Trades and Apprenticeship at ߲Ƶ. “Step into Steel Toes is designed to make it easier for women of all ages to feel comfortable trying out various tools...
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߲Ƶ launches Apprentice Hiring Project
August 3, 2022
Hiring and training first year apprentices in the skilled trades is now easier and more affordable for regional employers. Launching this month, the ߲Ƶ Apprentice Hiring Project received over $3 million in funding and will be using that money to support small and medium sized enterprises who hire first-year apprentices, helping the businesses offset costs that come with onboarding new skilled workers. The project is funded by the Government of Canada’s Apprenticeship Service. Under the project, employers are eligible to r...
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OC pilots tuition-free work-integrated learning for Early Childhood Education
July 26, 2022
߲Ƶ is offering tuition-free Early Childhood Education (ECE) training with an innovative approach – providing students the opportunity to become certified during work-integrated learning (WIL) experiences as they provide education and care for young children. “߲Ƶ is keenly aware of how many trained ECEs are in demand across the sector. This pilot project, with support from the Government of B.C., will increase access to education for people seeking certification, going a long way to meeting that need,” says Yvonn...
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