Education officials make announcement at Okanagan College

UPDATE 11:28 a.m.

The province held a grand opening ceremony of Okanagan College’s new Health Sciences Centre on Friday.

B.C. government officials including Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training Anne Kang and Neil Fassina, president, Okanagan College, were on hand to christen the new building.

The campus opened in September of 2021, the 2,822-square-metre, 30,375-square-foot, facility includes student-centred labs, classrooms and office space for a wide array of health and social development programs. The cutting-edge learning environments have been equipped with the latest education technology and designed to reflect spaces students will encounter in industry. The building will support 591 students in programs that train students for in-demand jobs, such as certified dental assistant, health-care assistant, pharmacy technician and more.

“If COVID-19 has taught us anything, it’s how essential health-care workers are to our province,” said Adrian Dix, Minister of Health. “We know B.C. needs more health-care professionals, and we’re committed to training a new generation of the people who care for us when we need it. Okanagan College’s new Health Sciences Centre is a modern, new facility that will help set both students and our province up for success.”

The new facility will help British Columbians looking for rewarding health-care careers gain access to a state-of-the-art learning environment.

“The new Health Sciences Centre at Okanagan College is helping meet the demand for employment growth and the health-care services people in the Southern Okanagan and B.C. Interior rely on every day,” said Anne Kang, Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training. “This building is a showcase of our commitment to building learning spaces that meet the growing demand for services, while ensuring these structures reflect the best in sustainable building practices.”

Health-care professionals are in high demand in the province and across Canada. The 2019 BC Labour Market Outlook projected 117,100 job openings in health professions by 2029.

“This new facility will provide Okanagan College students with a world-class learning environment that will only further enhance the already outstanding education and training they are receiving at the college,” said Neil Fassina, president, Okanagan College. “We are grateful to the Province and to the community donors and industry partners across the region who have stepped to help us open these doors at a time when well-trained health-care and social development professionals are needed more than ever.”

ORIGINAL 10:48 a.m.

The Minister of Advanced Education and Skills Training Anne Kang and Neil Fassina, president, Okanagan College, are making an announcement related to students in and around Kelowna today at 11:00 a.m. at the Health Sciences Centre at Okanagan College.

Castanet is covering the announcement and will have details as soon as they are available.