College gets trades boost

Photo: Contributed - Okanagan College

New trades campus under construction

Trades training at Okanagan College has received a shot in the arm with funding to create 152 more students spaces.

The province has provided $766,560 to reduce wait times for students entering in-demand trades.

The funding will go toward the following programs:  

• Welding: 16 Foundation seats
• Carpentry: 32 Foundation seats
• Electrical: 36 Foundation seats
• Heavy Mechanical Trades: 18 Foundation seats
• Professional Cook: 18 Level 1 seats
• Welding: 32 Level B seats

“There are one million jobs opening up in B.C. by 2022, and 44 per cent of those will be in the trades alone – that’s more than four times the total population of Kelowna,” said Premier Christy Clark, MLA for Westside-Kelowna. “More trades training seats at Okanagan College means more students getting the skills to be first in line for those jobs here at home.”  

“Okanagan College is an exceptional facility, and these additional seats will help train even more local students,” added Kelowna-Mission MLA Steve Thomson. “In making more critical trades seats available, we’re helping to meet the needs of industry and create good, family-supporting jobs in our community.”  

The support is part of a $6.1-million initiative to fund 1,429 additional critical trade seats this year in 14 public post-secondary institutions throughout the province.

Foundation training programs provide students with the basic knowledge and skills needed for entry into a particular occupation. Students receive credit for the first level of apprenticeship training in a specific field by the Industry Training Authority upon completion.

By 2022, the province estimates more than 78 per cent of jobs will require some form of post-secondary education, and 44 per cent will be in skilled trades and technical occupations.