Health care students in the South Okanagan Similkameen are about to breathe a sigh of relief thanks to a new bursary fund
February 23, 2023
Local philanthropists Yasmin and Rick Thorpe have partnered with Summerland’s Penny Lane Legacy Fund to create a $50,000 bursary fund to help bolster the future of health care in the South Okanagan Similkameen. The Caring for Health Care Students Fund will provide $750 - $1,750 awards for eligible students studying at Okanagan College’s Penticton Campus. “We know if we educate healthcare professionals in Penticton, there’s a good chance they’ll stay and work in the region,” says Yasmin John Thorpe. “We want to help increase ...
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Â黨´«Ă˝increases access to early childhood education in the South Okanagan
February 22, 2023
Okanagan College (OC) is opening new spaces for people interested in working in early childhood education, as childcare facilities across the region and British Columbia continue to face staffing challenges. The Early Childhood Education Certificate program starts at OC’s Penticton campus in mid-March and runs through May 2024. The intake will have space for 24 students, adding to the more than 145 Early Childhood Education students studying at Okanagan College in Vernon, Kelowna and Penticton this year. According to the province’...
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Plasma donor drive campaign boosts Â黨´«Ă˝nursing student with $3,000 bursary
February 22, 2023
Okanagan College nursing student Taylor Hubick learned a valuable lesson this year: persistence with plasma donation pays off. Hubick is the recipient of the Canadian Blood Services bursary of $3,000 for her studies in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, for recruiting 23 plasma donors between May and October last year. Hubick says she originally got recruited to donate by a friend who was studying on Vancouver Island. “She pulled out of the challenge because she was going travelling, and that’s when I realized I s...
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Community donations support College's trades facility
February 21, 2023
Two recent donations to Okanagan College’s trades training facility are a perfect example of how partnerships with the community continue to benefit students. People taking courses in Okanagan College’s RV Training program are benefitting from donations that allow them to work on equipment that is in use in the industry. GLP Canada and Atlas Trailer both donated an assortment of new appliances including hot water heaters, furnaces and range/oven to the RV Training program. “Thank you to our valued partners in the co...
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College students mentoring high school peers for Sustainable Development Challenge
February 17, 2023
It’s students helping students tackle the biggest issues of our time. Okanagan College (OC) students have joined forces with youth leaders in Grades 8 to 12 in the Central Okanagan to provide mentorship on projects that will impact the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The high school teams are preparing for a local Sustainable Development Challenge event, inspired by the UN initiative, and are able to bounce their ideas and projects off Â黨´«Ă˝students prior to the challenge finale later this month. VIDEO: Â黨´«Ă˝...
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Acclaimed musician brings Songwriting 101 to Â黨´«Ă˝Salmon Arm and Revelstoke
February 16, 2023
Have you ever had a song that you couldn’t get out of your head? An award-winning local musician is presenting a day-long introduction to the craft and joy of songwriting at Okanagan College in Salmon Arm and Revelstoke. Joanne Stacey has spent most of her life working in the music business as a performer, musician, recording artist, and songwriter. On Feb. 25 in Salmon Arm and again on March 11 in Revelstoke, Stacey will be pouring that lifetime of music industry experience and songwriting expertise into a new course: Songwriting ...
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Local couple's Okanagan Dream Rally contribution is a dream come true for Okanagan College students
February 14, 2023
Jason and Laura Norup-Boyer are passionate about education; that’s why when they participated in the auction at the 2022 Okanagan Dream Rally, they requested their $40,000 contribution go to bursaries for Okanagan College students. The Okanagan Dream Rally is a well-established fundraising event hosted by the August Family Foundation. The Rally, which has raised upwards of $3 million for local charities since its inception, pairs special needs children with high-end cars and drivers for the day. Last year’s event drew more than 50...
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OC's Spaghetti Bridge Building Contest set to return for 38th year this spring
February 13, 2023
Spaghetti is back on the menu at Okanagan College this spring.A fixture on the spring calendar in the Okanagan for nearly four decades, the College's popular Spaghetti Bridge Building Contest will return this March for the first time since 2020.Â黨´«Ă˝will host the 38th annual contest on Friday, March 3 at the Kelowna campus. Organizers are putting the call out to teachers and students from elementary through post-secondary to participate.Students can enter the following competitions:Elementary School Students: Elementary School Demonst...
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College focused on training workers as new labour market outlook forecasts more than one million jobs
February 8, 2023
With more than 120,000 job openings expected in the Thompson-Okanagan in the next decade, Okanagan College wants to help people living across the region map out their education, skills training, and career paths. B.C.’s latest Labour Market Outlook was unveiled today and over the ten-year forecast period shows regional employment demand increasing by 1.4 per cent on average each year for the next decade. The top industries in Thompson-Okanagan by job openings include retail trade (excluding cars, online shopping and personal care)...
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Celebrate Valentine's with Enactus Â黨´«Ă˝fundraiser
February 8, 2023
Enactus Okanagan College will celebrate Valentine's Day in Kelowna E Building Atrium on Feb. 14 between 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. Please join us to share the love and support to Enactus Â黨´«Ă˝Students competing in the upcoming Regional Competition this March 2023. Enactus will have snacks, games, and Unusually Good Candles. We will be selling the UGFC Candles for $15 each. Pre-orders are accepted. Send a text message to 236-853-3612 or e-mail vppenticton@enactusoc.ca. You can place an order online too at Apple Pomace Candle Un...
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